Before the season started, Mike Tomlin told the Steelers’ flagship station that the team’s defense could be “historic.”
It turns out that’s the case… just not the way Tomlin envisioned it.
The Steelers are
30th in total defense (308.7) and the worst pass defense in all of football (273.3 passing yards per game). Safety Juan Thornhill, who was cut by the Cleveland Browns, said in training camp that the Steelers could be one of the best defenses of all time.
The defense has been historic. Historically bad.
With self-imposed high expectations not coming to fruition this season, Tomlin discussed the disconnect plaguing the team and specifically his defense.
“We make no excuses about how or why we fall short,” Tomlin said at his weekly press conference. “Our job is to perform at a high level, and we haven’t done that. I’m excited about getting back to it.”
The Steelers are 4-3 through seven games, clinging to a two-game lead in the loss column on the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati scored 33 points against the Steelers last Thursday, and Green Bay gashed the secondary for 35 points, including 28 in the second half at Acrisure Stadium.
“Seven games or whatever doesn’t make a season,” Tomlin said. “We certainly have more in front of us. More opportunities to write our story, whether it’s individuals, a component of our team, or our team in general. I think it’s our general mindset.”
Pittsburgh owns the highest-paid defense in the NFL, shelling out over $160 million to an experienced unit that has continually fallen short. Adding All-Pro Jalen Ramsey and former Pro Bowler Darius Slay hasn’t made the defense better in the secondary, and is the main area of concern, with Joey Porter Jr. not showing signs of improvement either.
Tomlin was asked if his mature group, particularly on defense, should be able to deal with adversity better than they have. The Steelers are 22nd in the NFL in points allowed per game (25) and have given up at least 31 in four games.
“Sure. Our kids should do what we tell them to do, but they often don’t,” Tomlin said. “We all fall short of perfection. That’s why we’re always working as individuals and as a collective. Whether it’s football or life.”
The road becomes more difficult as the 7-1 Indianapolis Colts come to Pittsburgh with the highest-scoring offense in football (33.8 points per game). The Colts are 3.5-point favorites in Pittsburgh and riding a confidence unseen since the days of Andrew Luck and Payton Manning.
Tomlin ruled out defensive lineman Daniel Ekuale for the season and safety – plus key secondary leader and communicator – DeShon Elliott is week-to-week, making the task even more difficult for the Steelers to rebound and pull off a surprising win against the league’s top team.
