The Pittsburgh Steelers have the most expensive defense in the NFL, but they haven’t gotten their money’s worth this season. Their defense has been wildly inconsistent this year, and right now it’s trending in the wrong direction.
The Steelers’ defense has been gashed during their two-game losing streak, surrendering 68 points and 924 yards over the last two weeks. They had no answer for Joe Flacco and Jordan Love, allowing both to torch Pittsburgh’s secondary for over 300 yards and three passing touchdowns in primetime.
The Steelers’ defense blew early leads in both games, failing Aaron Rodgers and the offense. Pittsburgh has now allowed over 30 points in four of its eight games this season, including all three of its losses.
The Steelers enter Week 9 ranked 22nd in points per game allowed and 30th in yards per game allowed. Now, they’ll face their toughest test yet in the Indianapolis Colts, who have the NFL’s top record at 7-1.
The Colts also have the league’s best offense, leading the NFL in yards per game and points per game. Jonathan Taylor is having an MVP-caliber season with 14 touchdowns and over 1,000 scrimmage yards already, so Pittsburgh’s run defense needs to find a way to slow him down.
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The real problem for the Steelers has been their secondary, which has allowed the most passing yards per game in the league and will be without safety DeShon Elliott (knee) on Sunday. They have a tough matchup against Daniel Jones, who’s thrown multiple touchdown passes in four straight games and hasn’t lost since Week 4.
Pittsburgh’s offense has been solid this year, but it needs some help from the defense. If the Steelers’ defense doesn’t step up and make some adjustments on Sunday, Pittsburgh could be looking at a third straight loss.
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Featured image via Geoff Burke/Imagn Images