Perhaps nobody is under more intense scrutiny than the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense after exceeding 30 points allowed for the second week in a row. This kind of offensive performance would mark a particularly disturbing milestone for the franchise. For the first time since 2002, the Steelers have given up 30 points in each of their first two games of the season. The Steelers have spent a whopping $162,758,678 on their defensive talent. Their defensive unit is having a profound time getting its feel on early on the 2023 campaign.
In their last game, the Steelers’ defense allowed the Seattle Seahawks to walk down the field and score a touchdown on their first possession. Yet this slow start chose a disturbing tone for the rest of the match. The overall unit is the defense, which includes six former first-round selections and superstar linebacker T.J. Watt. In recent weeks they have come under sustained fire. Watt’s recently signed a three-year, $123 million contract extension, $108 million of which is guaranteed. He hasn’t had a sack in over six games.
It’s just different.” Watt said after the game, lamenting the unit’s defensive struggles. He owned the shortcomings, saying, “We weren’t able to get pressure on the quarterbacks like we would want to.” It’s no secret that the Steelers failed to get consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Consequently, even a mediocre quarterback like Sam Darnold was given time to run his progressions due to Seattle’s max protection tactics.
Watt provided two QB hits and created four pressures on Darnold. He even aligned on his typical left edge for a remarkable 90.3% of snaps. To explain that drop in alignment, you might assume opposing teams are scouting him well and scheming him out of making such big plays. The Steelers claimed that they would change Watt’s alignment in order to increase his impact. Unfortunately for him, he had only four passing attempts come from the Seahawks’ left side.
We’ve seen the run defense make some major strides since their last matchup against the New York Jets. In that game, they gave up an eye-popping 182 rushing yards. He couldn’t do much to stop Kenneth Walker III from rushing for over 100 yards against them in this game. In his comments, Watt particularly placed a premium on the need for improved execution during high-stakes moments. He noted, “Even on third-and-long we ran the ball there too.” We have to execute better to prevent those plays.”
The Steelers’ offensive woes were made worse with a failure to adjust in-game. “Clearly it’s the same issues that are rearing their head from last week, and in the NFL you don’t have time to go back after each and every game and make the adjustments,” Watt added. This growing concern is palpable among the players and coaching staff, and rightly so, as we approach the time when a new defensive strategy will be needed.
Payton Wilson, a fellow leader on defense, stated that it was “very, very frustrating” how they would fail to play with that momentum in full games. We came out of the gates pretty hot and played really, really well early on. It strengthens democracy,” Wilson said. After that, we completely crapped the bed at the bottom end. That inconsistency is alarming for a unit that hangs its hat on holding opponents in check.
After these failures, many of the same players still hold faith in their talent as a group. Patrick Queen emphasized that execution is crucial for their success: “I think we just got to go out there and execute them. It’s really that simple.” Most notably, he admitted that the schematic problems from last year are returning. Most importantly, Cruickshank stressed, is that they certainly have the right information in order.
The Steelers’ defense appears to be an early season issue that could define the 2023 season. To stop the downward spiral of performance, they must be willing to address these problems directly. The next few matchups will be extremely important for the young unit. Their ultimate goal is to get their constituents’ confidence back and be more effective on the ground.
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