The Pittsburgh Steelers have finished 0-3 in their three games in 11-day stretch. It was a brutal series of games to watch as both sides of the ball didn't play up to their standard. Continuous mistakes have hurt this team during its three losses. December is the time to get hot as playoffs are just around the corner and the Steelers haven't done that. Although they've already clinched a playoff berth, the chance of hosting a home playoff game is slowly slipping from them, a scenario they easily could've obtained in Week 16.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' defense makes a tackle against the Chiefs during Week 17 of the 2024 season.
In what's usually the Steelers' saving grace, the defense has taken a complete downhill turn in recent weeks. Pittsburgh is the highest paid defense in the NFL and has one of the league's best defensive players in TJ Watt. Head Coach Mike Tomlin is a defensive minded coach and it's shown in where the organization spends its money. However, the last three games have been disappointing for the defensive unit.
Tomlin spoke with the media in his postgame press conference after the 29-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He was clearly displeased and had critiques for all sides of the ball, but he went into the red zone defense and the lack of plays made.
"You’re running on the beach when you’re performing like that coupled with lack of situational playmaking," Tomlin said. "Red zone defense making people settle for field goals opposed to touchdowns, the games are going to look like that."
Pittsburgh's defense has given up 90 points in its past three games. It has also averaged 403 total yards given up, a number that's not normal for the Steelers' defense. The Steelers were only down 16-10 at one point Wednesday, but the Chiefs came out strong in the second half and were a hard force to stop.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Patrick Queen and Donte Jackson make a tackle against the Chiefs in Week 17 of the 2024 season.
Another problem the defense - and special teams - has faced is the lack of turnovers. The opportunities are there. Twice Wednesday the ball was fumbled and bounced on the ground, but the Steelers were too late to pick it up and Chiefs recovered each time. Tomlin also gave his thoughts on that during his press conference and drilled his defense and special teams about it.
"You’re not giving yourself a chance particularly turning the ball over in the red zone," Tomlin said. "We have balls on the ground early, we had a ball on the ground on the punt team early. We didn’t cover it. We had a ball tipped up in the air that could’ve provided our offense a short field, we didn’t catch it. We’re not being opportunistic on the defense or the special teams side when given an opportunity. We have balls on the ground and turnover opportunities a week ago that we didn’t capitalize on."
There was also the continuation of missing tackles on defense and leaving receivers wide open. Travis Kelce absolutely took advantage of the zone defense as he finished the day with 84 yards and a touchdown. Even with DeShon Elliott and Donte Jackson back, it didn't do a lot for this struggling defense.
Something will need to change heading into the final week of the regular season. The Steelers will go against a Cincinnati Bengals team that still has some playoff hope alive, so they'll be hungry to win if there's still a chance for them. With the defensive performance as of late, it's concerning how they'll fare against Joe Burrow and the Bengals' offense, even though Pittsburgh came out with a huge win against them in Week 13.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' TJ Watt after a play against the Chiefs in Week 17 of the 2024 season.
Steelers' Sack Numbers Recently Are Concerning
The Steelers didn't record a single sack on Patrick Mahomes Wednesday, while a Chiefs defense without their best player Chris Jones got five sacks on Russell Wilson. The defensive front for the Steelers should be one of the best parts about the defense. They have been playing more consistent than the secondary, but not being able to get a sack definitely hurts.
Mahomes was getting the ball out quick, knowing he had Watt, Alex Highsmith and Cameron Heyward coming at him. The defense will need to create pressure more to up the chances of turnovers, something that's also been lacking for the defense.
What do you think will solve the defensive problems for the Steelers? Let us know in the comments below!
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