3 things we learned from Steelers loss against Buffalo Bills

The Steelers defense is ‘taking on water’ because of injuries to key players

The Steelers defensive ‘ship’ is ‘taking on water’ and listing right now.  I say ‘right now’ because I believe the defense is good enough to overcome the plethora of injuries with which we have had to deal throughout the season.

One of the issues in the game against the Bills was the fact that the defense was on the field for 71 snaps, which is just too many snaps for a defense that is down some key players.  The defense is ranked 2nd overall through 13 games, but frankly, that is a little misleading as we are currently 6th against the run.  We are giving up an average of 4.2 yards per rushing attempt.

On a more cheerful note, we are ranked 1st in sacks and 1st in points allowed per game. Similar to last year, the defense will have to keep things together until the offense gets back on track.  If the defense somehow completely unravels, we may find ourselves looking for answers as we watch the Super Bowl from the friendly environs of home.

Against the Bills, the Steelers defense could not get off the field on third down with any consistency, gave up 130 yards receiving to one player and, although we had a sack, a forced fumble, and a nabbed an INT, it just wasn’t enough to help propel us to victory.

Let’s take a look at the third thing we learned.