The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to 6-5 on Sunday, losing to the Chicago Bears. The Steelers were without Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and only lost by three points, but it was still an embarrassing loss for Pittsburgh. The reason is poor play from the defense. Losing to Chicago 31-28, the Steelers' defense has a lot of questions to answer.
After the game, Bears receiver DJ Moore, who had five receptions for 64 yards and two touchdowns, spoke with the media about his two scores. On the receiver’s second touchdown, he explained that he was so wide open he kind of looked around, confused. That pretty much says it all about the state of Pittsburgh’s defense right now.
Pittsburgh Steelers' defense is to blame for Week 12 loss to Bears
Mason Rudolph started for Pittsburgh on Sunday, but the offense still posted 345 yards, was 8-of-14 on third down, and accounted for 21 points. With the help of a defensive score, the Steelers had 28 points in the game. That didn’t matter, though, because the team gave up 31.
Pittsburgh’s defense allowed 328 yards and four yards per rush attempt. Chicago’s young quarterback Caleb Williams was able to carve the unit up for three scores, and as Moore pointed out in his postgame comments, there were some embarrassing moments where fans were left asking what the Steelers defense was doing.
This has unfortunately been a theme for Pittsburgh throughout the year, with the defense having multiple games where the group just doesn’t show up. The Steelers have talented players on defense at every level, but for whatever reason, the group hasn’t been able to consistently put things together. With the offense also playing inconsistently, Pittsburgh is now 6-5 and has given up its lead in the AFC North, with the 6-5 Baltimore Ravens leapfrogging the franchise.
The Steelers will have to regroup going into Week 13 and get things together on both sides of the ball. While getting healthy will be the top priority, the Pittsburgh defense playing up to its standard will be the next immediate focus. The Steelers will play Josh Allen and the 7-4 Buffalo Bills on Sunday, so if the defense isn’t better, it will be a long day.