The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense was supposed to be their strength in 2025.
Instead, two weeks into the season, the star-studded unit has been one of the worst in the NFL.
The team is dishing out massive salaries to a slew of prominent defenders including linebackers T.J. Watt ($123 million), Alex Highsmith ($68 million) and Patrick Queen ($41 million), as well as cornerback Jalen Ramsey ($84.7 million). Defensive tackle Cameron Heyward ($29 million) also recently had his contract adjusted.
The Steelers dropped from 13th to 17th in The Athletic’s Week 3 NFL Power Rankings on Tuesday following their 31-17 loss vs. the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2.
“Houston is the only NFL team paying more to its defense this year, and the $173.8 million the Steelers are giving out does not seem like money well spent,” the article, written by Josh Kendall and Chad Graff, said. “Seattle had 395 yards of offense Sunday after finishing with 230 in Week 1. Meanwhile, a New York Jets team that put 42 points and 394 yards on Pittsburgh last week totaled just 10 points and 154 yards against the Bills in Week 2. Pittsburgh is 29th in the league in scoring defense (31.5 ppg allowed) and 31st in defensive success rate (50.4 percent).”
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Pittsburgh travels to face the New England Patriots in Week 3 on Sunday.
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