The Pittsburgh Steelers dropped their second game in a row this week, losing 35-25 to the Green Bay Packers. The loss drops them to 4-3, still leading the AFC North but quickly losing the huge lead they had just two weeks ago.
Many things stood out in the brutal loss, but nothing more than the absolute clinic that Packers quarterback Jordan Love put on in the second half. He completed 20 consecutive passes at one point, routinely finding open receivers at all levels of the field.
It was a brutal reminder that the Steelers' defense has a fatal flaw that may be impossible for them to overcome this season. At the very least, something has to change if they are going to figure things out.
Pittsburgh Steelers' defense unravels as Packers' Jordan Love exposes their slow secondary
The Steelers went all in on adding veteran talent to their secondary this offseason, headlined by the trade for Jalen Ramsey. The signings of Darius Slay, Juan Thornhill, and Chuck Clark continued that trend, banking on experience and savvy to help improve the pass defense.
It was an interesting idea, but it looks like a disaster through seven games.
Darius Slay has been an outright liability by every metric, the safeties have been either average or painfully slow, and even Jalen Ramsey looks like just a good-not-great corner at this point in his career.
Love punished the Steelers' lack of speed and tackling ability by peppering explosive tight end Tucker Kraft with targets, with the young playmaker finishing with seven catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns. He also welcomed back deep threat Christian Watson with four receptions for 85 yards. The young QB finished 29 of 37 for 360 yards and three touchdowns.
It has become painfully obvious that the secondary can't cover well enough to slow down even average passing offenses. If the pass rush doesn't dominate, things quickly fall apart. Love avoided pressure all night, getting sacked zero times, even with the Steelers blitzing often.
With the upstart 7-1 Colts coming to town next week, the Steelers have no time to waste trying to find a solution to their woes in the secondary. There will be time to discuss how exactly they can attempt to do that, but one thing is more clear than ever: the highest-paid defense in the NFL is playing like one of the worst.