The Pittsburgh Steelers head to Foxborough on Sunday to take on the New England Patriots in a matchup that, even this early in the season, could carry playoff implications down the road. Both teams figure to be in the race, but Pittsburgh enters with serious concerns after back-to-back defensive meltdowns.
This team’s identity has always been defense, and the front office went the extra mile this offseason to shore it up on all three levels. With the highest-paid defense in the league and plenty of new pieces brought in, there’s no excuse for the struggles we’ve seen.
If this unit doesn’t deliver an immediate turnaround on Sunday, the Steelers could be staring at season-long problems that money and excuses won’t fix
Pittsburgh Steelers' defense has to figure things out against the Patriots
We’ve heard every excuse: struggles to get off blocks, communication issues that have plagued this defense for years, and injuries that supposedly limit schematics. But for a team built around defense, a third straight performance like the ones we’ve seen so far would trigger full-scale alarm bells.
This New England team is talented, led by Drake Maye and an offense built to run the football, which is a huge problem for a Steelers team that currently cannot stop the run to save their lives. Some adjustments are overdue: moving Keanu Benton to defensive end, playing Yahya Black at nose tackle, or rotating him with Derrick Harmon if he is active, could help.
Cole Holcomb should see early down action, while Payton Wilson could return to his previous role on passing downs, where he had more success last season.
Mike Tomlin also needs to confront a hard truth: talent on paper does not automatically fix scheme problems. This team needs to put players in the best possible situations, disguising coverages, giving the pass rush different looks, and maximizing the strengths of new corners Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay. Right now, they are doing them no favors.
This defense is older, and even the still good players are not in their primes. They cannot just rely on talent; they have to play smart, strategically, and create advantages rather than hope talent alone wins the day. Time will tell, but if we have learned anything from watching this team over the years, it is this: we can hear the talk, but can they walk it? Especially with this defense, we have to see real changes to believe they are serious about fixing what is broken.