The Pittsburgh Steelers looked like one of the top teams in the AFC before their game against the Bengals last Thursday. The expectation was for the recent success to continue against a hapless Cincinnati team.
Instead, we watched an epic collapse unfold as this team folded against their division rival.
Now, the narrative of this team has completely flipped. From the class of the league to a bottom-feeder, suddenly, the Steelers look like they are in over their head.
For the most part, these snap opinions are an overreaction. That said, the Bengals game did prove one thing. While certainly dangerous at times, this team appears to be pretenders as opposed to contenders.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were exposed in their most recent loss
The mood of the Steelers this offseason was clear: we are going to be a conservative offense that does just enough to move the ball and put up points with a stifling defense that will shut down even the best offenses.
That’s why you brought in Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay in the secondary. The hope is that your talented secondary mixed in with a ferocious front seven would choke out offenses. The Bengals proved just the opposite.
A part of that is because of the talent. While good players, this secondary is elderly. The speed isn’t there anymore, and that can limit the defense (especially on short weeks). However, the game plan is also ridiculous at times.
Despite having this surplus of talent in the cornerback room, the team played incredibly soft against the Bengals' receivers to disastrous effect. Sure, the hope is that the pass rush can get home, but when receivers are getting open within a second of the snap, your edge rushers don’t have time to get to the quarterback.
It seems that this soft defensive strategy was an attempt to compensate for the athletic limitations on a short week. With some additional time to rest, hopefully, this defense can get more aggressive against the Packers.
These next few games will be key. The offense has proven its worth, being slightly better than what most fans expected. The defense has dominated at times, but it can also fall flat on its face.
You invested in this secondary to stop receiving cores like what the Bengals have. However, if the game plan remains conservative with this defense, they don’t have a chance.
Even if the Steelers lose on Sunday, if they show some positive steps against a top team in the league, it would go a long way in quenching these fears of this team being a pretender. If they bottom out, though, it will be clear as day: this Pittsburgh team tricked a lot of fans early in the season.