Steelers vs. Broncos: Why Pittsburgh has cause for concern in Week 2
By Andrew Falce
Early secondary issues
The Steelers have done an incredible job of redeveloping their secondary after the retirements and departures of their former Super Bowl-winning squads. A weak link for years, the Steelers finally spent money and added free agents Joe Haden and Steven Nelson as well as trading a first-round pick for Minkah Fitzpatrick last year. These additions paid dividends, as the Steelers had a top unit last year, but in the opener, the secondary struggled to find its footing.
They weren’t bad by any means, but the defense gave up two TDs to the Giants, with one of them being a long pass early in the game. While the Giants offense is good, it was a little disheartening to see the secondary play as bad as they did. Haden and Nelson were both responsible for the scores and Fitzpatrick make much on an impact. The biggest stat contributor was Terrell Edmunds due to his tackling ability, not his coverage or ball skills.
Going into week two, the Steelers need to get their secondary back on the right track. If that unit can come together with the dominant front seven, this defense could contend as the best in the NFL. Fitzpatrick needs to make more of an impact and the CBs have to fix their play from the previous game this week against the Broncos.