Historically, the Pittsburgh Steelers are a proud franchise known for their tough defense. Unfortunately for the current 6-6 team, that tough defense was nowhere to be found in Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills, and has been absent for most of the year. The Bills put up 372 total yards and 26 points against Pittsburgh, and they did that behind a dominant rushing attack, running for 249 yards.
The abysmal performance by the Steelers' defense has resulted in a lot of people talking about the current state of the franchise. The words that really capture how far Pittsburgh’s defense has fallen came from former NFL lineman and 2009 Steelers draft pick, A.Q. Shipley. On Wednesday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show, Shipley said Pittsburgh’s defense has gone from the Steel Curtain to the Silk Curtain.
"The Pittsburgh Steelers can't stop the run..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 3, 2025
This isn't the Steel Curtain it's the Silk Curtain"@aqshipley #PMSLive https://t.co/kWtWYtew5B pic.twitter.com/qp2SYte7Ak
Former NFL player refers to the Pittsburgh Steelers defense as the Silk Curtain
Shipley brought up the Steel Curtain, the name for the legendary Steelers defensive line of the 1970s that helped set the foundation for the franchise. For a team and city as proud of its tradition as Pittsburgh, referring to the defense as the Silk Curtain is embarrassing. Unfortunately, the Steelers have no one to blame but themselves.
The former offensive lineman showcased that by breaking down film from Sunday’s game. Shipley only needed a handful of plays to get the message across: the Bills repeatedly ran through the teeth of Pittsburgh’s defense with the same plays. The takeaway was that the Steelers are soft, as soft as a silk curtain.
That's simply indefensible. Wins and losses are one thing, but for Pittsburgh to have a soft defense speaks to the worst kind of loss: a loss of identity. That’s why the football world is having discussions about whether it’s time for the franchise to move on from long-time head coach Mike Tomlin. If nothing changes in the final five weeks of the season, it could be on the table.
To be fair, though, Pittsburgh is 6-6 and still in position to win the AFC North. It’s still plenty of time left to turn the season around and get back in the mix. If that’s going to happen, the team has to look like the Steelers of old, and not the team that was on the field against the Bills.