The Steelers defense took a gigantic step backward after some solid performances before this game.
After a couple of weeks of hopeful play, the defense of the Steelers took a step backward. They have humbled again, just like they were against the Buffalo Bills a handful of weeks ago. The Eagles were able to keep their foot on the gas for the entire game without much concern while they deciphered this group on a consistent basis.
Steelers defensive line applied some pressure
Many bad things happened to the black and gold on Sunday and the defensive line was not great. Carlos Davis was elevated for this contest, and he was able to get a sack. Cam Heyward also registered a sack as well. The issue continues to be defending the run for this crew as they routinely express the inability to get better in that department.
Grade: D+
This group was able to apply some pressure on the quarterback and get home a few times. Larry Ogunjobi was out with an injury so that could have affected the game some, but excuses are for the weak in the NFL. It was a tough outing as Philadelphia was able to control this game in almost every aspect.
Malik Reed is playing better but the edge position is still quiet
Even though the light is slim, there is something with a spark at the edge position for the Steelers. Malik Reed has not been great since he joined the team late in the preseason, but he has been turning things around recently. He is not the answer as the third outside linebacker for this club, but he has a chance to prove that.
Grade: D-
Reed was able to get a sack, but Alex Highsmith has disappeared again, which is concerning. He has done a job that leaves more to be desired. T.J. Watt should be back after the bye week, so there is something positive to look forward to between now and when Pittsburgh returns to the field with their best player.
Myles Jack had his worst performance as a member of the Steelers
Many different areas of this roster struggled on game day, but this was one of the worst spots. Things started to seem better over the past four weeks or so with Devin Bush and Myles Jack as the starters at inside linebacker. Sadly, that hope was falsified, and both had terrible games against Philadelphia.
Grade: F-
Jack was the worse of the two as the veteran has been stable for the Steelers until this game. He had mental mistakes that allowed for easy completions for the Eagles. Bush does not get off the hook as he did not show up much for this club after having some performances that should have given him some positive momentum.
Every cornerback got torched in this game on Sunday
To say that the performance by these cornerbacks was ugly against Philadelphia would be the understatement of the century. The birds of brotherly love have some great weapons at receiver, and it was a huge challenge for these cornerbacks to defend. There was some hope since Ahkello Witherspoon was reentering the lineup from injury, but that was a costly thought process.
Grade: F
There were not too many contested catches by the Eagles on Sunday and Witherspoon is gonna be gone after this year. That guy is gonna have nightmares about how A.J. Brown dismantled him in a professional atmosphere. Things were ugly for Witherspoon until he got benched, but the rest of his teammates did not have the strongest outing either.
Both safeties were not able to stop big plays from happening
Perhaps one of the biggest disappointments during this game was the play of both safeties. They have been the best duo on this team all season and have led the club in consistent play that was above the line. That fell off this week as both starters seemed to show some issues that just put the cherry on top of this game for the Steelers.
Grade: C-
Not everything was terrible by these two starters, but Terrell Edmunds had his worst game of the season. It was a tough performance that he will need to bounce back from after some mental errors. Minkah Fitzpatrick did nothing special and seemed to be late on some coverage issues that led to the opposing club scoring a couple of touchdowns.
Steelers defense overall grade: F
Trying to find some positives to sift through this game was almost as hard as the stinker that Pittsburgh had against the Bills. There were almost no positives to find from this as the Eagles routinely found ways to make their game plan work. The defense looked unprepared and unmotivated to find alternate ways to compete in this contest.
Pittsburgh had another performance that exposed that this group might be one of the worst teams in the NFL. There are too many issues with this club on both sides of the ball.