Steelers’ loss to the Seahawks proves Pittsburgh is fundamentally flawed in an area no one saw coming in 2025
A major cause for concern.
Coming into 2025, if you told Pittsburgh Steelers fans the season didn’t go to plan, they would have assumed the offense was the issue. That Aaron Rodgers flopped, or the offensive line didn’t protect, or that they didn’t have enough pass catchers to score points.
Some of that was true in Pittsburgh’s Week 2 loss against the Seattle Seahawks. But what was worse, and what has been worse through two weeks, is the defense. In particular, the run defense. For the highest-paid defense in the league, frankly, it’s unacceptable, and it was unforeseen.
As to how the Steelers fix it? They just have to be better, according to Mike Tomlin.
Steelers’ defense struggles in back-to-back weeks
“We just gotta be better, and we will be,” said Tomlin after the game when asked about his run defense and how to fix it.
A visibly defeated Tomlin, it’s clear that, right now, he and DC Teryl Austin don’t have the answers. I know players like Alex Highsmith and Derrick Harmon were out.
I know Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson were in and out with injury. I know that their enforcing safety, DeShon Elliott, missed the game. What we have seen through two weeks is simply not good enough, though, and everyone knows it.
“We’re too talented, we have way too good of schemes to allow this to happen week after week,” said T.J. Watt after the game.
Last week was 32 points and over 180 yards on the ground. This week, even if you take away the special teams blunder, it was 24 points and 117 yards on the ground, including a back-breaking and, ultimately, game-sealing touchdown from Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker.
One week is a problem. What happened against the New York Jets created cause for concern. But two weeks? That’s a pattern. A pattern that the Steelers said was done. A pattern that the front office spent all offseason trying to fix. Yet, it was another triple-digit game on the ground, and an average of nearly 28 points per game allowed in their last 10 contests.
And that is a massive disappointment for the league’s highest-paid defense. One that is flawed at its core right now.
