The middle of the Steelers defense is looking shaky for their Week 8 matchup against the Ravens.
The Steelers have had arguably the best defense in the league over the first seven weeks of the season. Pittsburgh is currently 1st in total yards allowed per game (286.3) and 2nd in rushing yards allowed per game (68.8), according to Team Rankings. In addition, Mike Tomlin’s team is 6th in the NFL in points allowed per contest – surrendering just 19.7 per game to their opponents so far this season.
While their defense has been remarkable thus far, there is plenty of cause for concern as they face a stingy Ravens team on the road this weekend. Baltimore currently leads the league in point differential with an impressive +12.5 points per game. They have the league’s top rushing attack in terms of yards per game, and the reigning MVP of the league.
But these aren’t the only reasons to be worried about Pittsburgh’s defense this weekend. In addition to facing one of the best teams the NFL has to offer, the Steelers will be doing so while short-handed in the middle of their defense.
According to the official injury report, linebacker Ulysees Gilbert, safety, Jordan Dangerfield, and defensive tackle Chris Wormley have already been ruled out for Sunday’s contest. Additionally, defensive back Mike Hilton – who wears many hats for the Steelers – is listed as questionable and may not suit up this week.
Injuries to these Steelers are bigger than you think
Though there aren’t any household names with injury designations heading into Week 8, losing some of these players could really hurt the Steelers this week.
Pittsburgh already took a big loss when Devin Bush went down for the remainder of the season against the Cleveland Browns. In his stead, backup linebacker Robert Spillane did a decent job filling in; however, he was dealing with some bumps and bruises after taking Derrick Henry head-on last week, and his coverage skills are still a big question mark.
Ulysees Gilbert was one player who stood to benefit the most from Bush’s injury, as he is currently the most athletic inside linebacker not on IR for Pittsburgh. During his days at Akron, he excelled as a coverage linebacker, and he was expected to step into a nickel and dime role as a subpackage player for Pittsburgh.
Losing Jordan Dangerfield could also hurt, as he potentially could have been a name that the Steelers turned to with both Bush and Gilbert out. Though Dangerfield is a strong safety, he is big and physically and does most of his damage in the box. He could have spelled some snaps as a sub-package linebacker.
Because of these injuries, the Steelers are really hoping Mike Hilton will be able to suit up this Sunday. Though he’s nowhere near the size of a linebacker, he’s been one of their most reliable sub-package players this year in nickel and dime formations, and he has been incredible near the line of scrimmage.
Containing Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will be no easy task, and Pittsburgh is already down two inside linebackers and potentially two players in the secondary heading into Week 8. It will be interesting to see who the Steelers deploy this weekend, but it’s possible that players like Cameron Sutton, Marcus Allen, and Sean Davis will be stepping into much larger roles for the time being. Let’s hope they can get the job done.