4 biggest causes of concern Steelers vs Washington Week 13

Football team’s front seven

Despite the poor record, the Football team is actually fielding one of the better defenses in the league right now. The secondary is a sound unit, but the real strength of this group is the interior of this defense and the pass rushers. This group has done a great job of generating pressure and forcing bad throws. Considering the Steelers are becoming increasingly one dimensional with throwing the ball, this could end up being a problem.

This interior defense is led by Tim Settle, who despite only playing around a third of the snaps has already amassed five sacks. Beyond him, the Football team has a plethora of former high round picks like Da’Ron Payne and Jonathan Allen manning the middle. That middle is daunting enough, but the edge is also controlled by some serious firepower. Despite his age, Ryan Kerrigan has been a rotational pass rusher while young rushers Montez Sweat, and Young have flashed talent as well.

This front seven knows how to get after the quarterback, and for an offense that is now pass-heavy, this group can do some damage. Despite the talent up front, the linebacking core is a weaker group which has allowed for some strong rushing performances against this defense. The Steelers would be wise to come out with a running heavy attack to get this defense out of its comfort zone. Then, some play-action passes could open the passing game up. If the Steelers opt to do their now traditional 40-50 passing attempts in a game, this front seven could wreak havoc.

The Steelers are coming off a close win and are now on a short week heading into their week 13 matchup. While the Steelers have some favorable matchups this week, the Football team has flashed some serious talent as of late and are still playing for a playoff spot. There are some serious concerns to be aware of this week as a result.