The Pittsburgh Steelers had some high expectations defensively ahead of the season. They’ve shown some quality play at times, but it’s hard to feel like they’ve lived up to that preseason hype overall. Former NFL linebacker Bart Scott thinks that age has something to do with that.
“Well, it’s like grumpy old men,” Scott said Friday on ESPN’s Get Up. “Sometimes we forget these guys are past their prime. They’re on the back end of their prime. And they’re trying to figure out how they’re gonna play.”
Scott isn’t wrong that there are some older players on the defense, but to say all are past their prime is a little bit of a stretch. Cam Heyward is edging into his late-30s, but he’s coming off a great year and is putting together another solid season at age 36. Elsewhere on the defensive line, everyone seemed ready to write off T.J. Watt at the beginning of the year. He’s taken a little longer to wake up this season but has certainly made his presence felt at times.
The Steelers’ defense also isn’t just old guys. Derrick Harmon has looked very good as their first-round pick. So has Jack Sawyer in his limited chances so far, and Nick Herbig remains a threat on the edge. Payton Wilson is in his first season as a starter, and the Steelers hope Joey Porter Jr. develops into their No. 1 cornerback of the future as well.
However, Scott is not wrong that some veterans aren’t playing as well as they should be. One is Darius Slay, who’s been a step slower at times at the age of 34. He’s had a few good moments, but it’s not the level the Steelers were hoping for, and he especially struggled against Cincinnati. Then, there’s Jalen Ramsey. Due to playing multiple roles, he gets a little more grace as he’s doing much more than he has in the past. But he’s been lacking in coverage at times as well. And especially last Thursday.
Nobody in that secondary had a good game last week. That’s why Scott is expecting the Steelers’ defense to change some things up this week.
“I don’t think they’re gonna go one-on-one like they did,” Scott said. “I think last week proved a lot, when you look at Ramsey, when you look at Slay. They’re good players. But they have to be protected as well.”
The Green Bay Packers don’t have two dynamic receivers like the Bengals do. But they have a very deep receiving corps. A lot of different guys can beat the Steelers this week. How the Steelers go about attacking Green Bay’s offense will be interesting. Jordan Love isn’t great when he deals with pressure, so expect the Steelers to bring some heat. However, Love is efficient when he gets the ball out quick, so the coverage has to be there on the back end.
That’s a little concerning, as quick slants and out routes are what killed the Steelers’ defense last week. We’ll see if the Steelers improve there or look to do anything differently. They might have to if they want to leave Acrisure Stadium with a win on Sunday.
