Pittsburgh Steelers: Defense picking up where it left off in 2017

The defending AFC North champions are winless in two games this season. And what continues to go wrong for the defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers?

If you are a fan of the game of football, it had to be fun watching second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes put on a show at Heinz Field on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The strong-armed performer was laser sharp in his team’s 42-37 win, hitting on 23 of his 28 throws for 326 yards and six touchdowns.

But the onus here is not on a promising signal-caller. If you are the Steelers, you have to be wondering what has gone wrong so quickly this season.

The team is winless in two games (0-1-1) and the common denominator has been a disappointing defense. Yes, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was guilty of five turnovers in the team’s Week 1 overtime tie with the Cleveland Browns. Mike Tomlin’s club coughed up the football six times in five quarters and the club squandered a 21-7 fourth-quarter lead.

But Sunday at Pittsburgh was a different story. The Steelers were down 21-0 in the first quarter and while they managed to even the score, it was an afternoon in which the club allowed 449 total yards on only 54 plays (8.3 average).

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There was one sack and one takeaway. And it was the second time in less than a calendar year that the team put at least 37 points on the board at home and found a way to lose the game.

This offseason, the team added veteran free agents such as linebacker Jon Bostic and versatile defensive back Morgan Burnett and used a first-round selection on University of Maryland safety Terrell Edmunds. So far, it’s added up to nothing but disappointment for Tomlin and coordinator Keith Butler.

Yes, the absence of big-play linebacker Ryan Shazier continues to be felt. But the problems began last season even before he was injured. And the numbers are downright disturbing. Including that wild 45-42 playoff loss to the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars, the club has allowed 249 points (27.7 average) and 32 offensive touchdowns in their last nine overall contests.

The team owns a 5-3-1 record in those games. During the club’s 8-2 start in 2017, Tomlin’s squad gave up just 16 offensive touchdowns in total and a mere 16.5 points per contest.

Is it the scheme? Is it the personnel? Are Butler and Tomlin on the same page? There’s simply more questions than answers these days when it comes to the defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Unfortunately, it’s an issue that has lingered for far too long. And is there time to reverse this unit’s current misfortunes?