The Pittsburgh Steelers have major issues on defense early in the season, and it's not just because of injuries. Though this unit has already seen Alex Highsmith, Joey Porter Jr., DeShon Elliott, and Isaiahh Loudermilk sidelined with soft tissue ailments, there are fundamental issues that must be cleaned up—none bigger than missed tackles.
Entering Week 3, the Steelers lead the NFL with a whopping 28 missed tackles, per advanced data from Pro Football Reference. This is an egregious number, especially when you consider the Los Angeles Rams haven't missed a single tackle in their first two games.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions have three missed tackles entering Week 3, while the Las Vegas Raiders and Atlanta Falcons are tied with just six missed tackles. What's worse is that 18 NFL teams have 10 or fewer missed tackles in their first two games... and the Steelers aren't one of them.
This painful statistic is embarrassing when you see how Teryl Austin's defense is performing compared to the rest of the league. While it's too early to get an accurate proration of this statistic over the course of the season, the Steelers would be on pace for a dismal 238 missed tackles at this rate.
Missed tackles are the biggest issue with the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense ahead of Week 3
One thing the Pittsburgh Steelers have done well in the past is begin the season strongly. Mike Tomlin takes advantage of every opportunity he can get for his players to practice physicality during training camp. Sadly, the defense couldn't be off to a slower start, and missed tackles are largely to blame.
Just two games into the season, second-year linebacker Payton Wilson already has four missed tackles (just three fewer than he had in 17 games as a rookie in 2024), while safety valves in the back end of the defense, Juan Thornhill and Darius Slay, each have three missed tackles.
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Even T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward have combined for three missed tackles in just two games. And when you're All-Pro veteran leaders are off to a sluggish start, you know there's a problem.
The inability to wrap up has led to the Steelers getting dominated in the time of possession battle early in the season, while allowing opposing offenses to keep the chains moving and effortlessly put up points. Tomlin's team currently ranks 27th in average time of possession, while his defense is 29th in points allowed per game, yards allowed per game, and yards per play.
The Pittsburgh Steelers need to get back to the basics, and it starts with what every 10-year-old learns in peewee football—you have to wrap up. If they continue to miss 14 tackles per game, you can bet that nothing else on defense is going to go well.