While the Steelers have had an up and down season, these four aspects have easily been the most disappointing elements of 2021.
It has been one of the most inconsistent and frustrating seasons for the Steelers in recent years. At times, this team looks like they are unstoppable, but far too often this team has put up some putrid outings. With their season wrapping up, it seemed like a good time to reminisce on what went wrong with the team.
Here are the four worst things that happened to the Steelers in the 2021 season.
Bush’s regression on Steelers defense
The Steelers had obviously high hopes for Devin Bush after trading up into the top ten to draft him. While he looked like he was developing last year before his injury, 2021 has been a different story. Not only has Bush regressed, but he has also become a regular liability on the defense. At this point, the idea of him being a bust is well in play and there is little guarantee that he is starting in 2022.
While many say that he is still healing from his injury, his athleticism isn’t the issue. Instead, he has been taking horrible angles as a tackler and has been misreading coverages. Worse yet, he has next to no instincts as a run defender. He is constantly waiting far too long for the play to set up as opposed to reading the play and attacking the proper gap.
The hope for Bush when he was drafted was that he would develop into one of the better three-down linebackers in the league. He has failed to this point, and 2021 has really made fans question if Bush should be with the team through next season let alone long term. While a slow start after an injury isn’t the end of the world, Bush has been regularly playing at a below-average level. His play in 2021 has been one of the worst storylines from an underachieving defense.