Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers’ poor defensive showing in Week 1, there wasn’t a ton of panic going forward. Many analysts were confident that unit would figure things out. Following Week 2, that opinion might be shifting. The Steelers’ defense turned in another poor performance, this time against the Seattle Seahawks. They once again got pushed around on the ground, and James Harrison is concerned about the team moving forward.
“The Steelers don’t give up rushing [yards],” Harrison said Monday on his Deebo and Joe podcast. “As a base, that’s one of the things that’s supposed to be the standard. You don’t give up a 100-yard rusher. I really can’t understand what’s going on with the defense. I’m nervous. I’m scared. The defense is bad. You gave up 32 points to the Jets. Almost 400 yards.
“What was it, 182 [yards] rushing, and the Bills just dog-walked the Jets. Only gave up 154 yards total. We’re in trouble. We can’t stop the run. We can’t get consistent pressure on the quarterback.”
Against the Steelers, the Jets’ offense looked like one of the league’s best. However, against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2, the Jets struggled to do much offensively in a 30-10 loss.
Justin Fields left that game in the fourth quarter with an injury, but it wasn’t like the Jets’ offense was doing much before that. Their lone touchdown came after that with around three minutes left in the game. At that point, the game was already over.
Therefore, it’s fair to wonder if the Jets’ offense was really that good in Week 1, or if the Steelers’ defense is really that bad. Week 2 provided ample evidence supporting the latter.
Harrison was part of some legendary Steelers defenses, so it’s no wonder he’s so appalled by what he’s seen. During his prime years with the team, they would’ve been furious to be part of back-to-back showings like this. Mike Tomlin thought the Steelers’ defense could do historic things this year, and so far, he’s been right, but for all the wrong reasons.
The Seahawks don’t have the most imposing offense, either, but they came into Pittsburgh and took over. Sam Darnold threw for almost 300 yards, Kenneth Walker III ran for over 100 yards, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba posted 103 receiving yards. There were no surprises. The Steelers once again got punched in the mouth.
Is it time to panic, like Harrison suggests? Fans aren’t wrong to be worried. The season is far from over, but things aren’t going to get any easier for the Steelers. They’ve got major problems on offense and defense. With 15 games remaining, there’s still time to turn things around. In Week 3, the Steelers are on the road against the New England Patriots. We’ll see if they can ease Harrison’s concerns.
