Pittsburgh sits atop the AFC North heading into their Week 9 bye, fresh off a dominant 27-6 victory over the rival Cleveland Browns where they racked up points and shut down the opposition. While the Steelers have been playing like one of the NFL’s best teams lately, and that win over Cleveland rightfully earned them a ton of positive coverage, the defense has a massive, glaring crack that could completely derail their season. Their passing defense, especially the secondary, is a serious problem.
Their Front Seven Is Unstoppable, But…
Let’s be real, the Steelers’ running game and front seven against Cleveland? Undoubtedly elite. We’re talking eight team sacks and holding the Browns to just 34 rushing yards. That’s pure dominance. Looking at the season, the stats back it up: they rank third in the league in stopping the run, first in sacking the quarterback, and third in forcing a quick time to throw. It makes sense why everyone is slapping the “elite” label on this defense. They haven’t even allowed 20 points in any of their last three games! But here’s the thing: that “elite” tag just doesn’t feel accurate when you dig into their secondary, and the Browns game showed us why. DeShaun Watson still dropped 324 passing yards on them. Sure, Cleveland was in a must-pass situation, but that’s a huge number to give up.
Pittsburgh’s Secondary Is a Ticking Time Bomb
The cracks in the Steelers’ passing defense have been apparent since before the season even started. The safety room has been an issue. While Robert Spears-Jennings has actually blown past Year 1 expectations as a seventh-round rookie, the play at the position is still a weaker spot on defense. DeShon Elliott missed a bunch of early season games with injury and hasn’t exactly been impactful since getting back on the field. Then there’s Jaquan Brisker, a free agent signing, who hasn’t always been able to step up when it comes to coverage ability and instincts. At cornerback, the injury issues have mostly subsided, which is good. But with Joey Porter Jr., who was by far the best player in that secondary, getting traded to Dallas before ever suiting up for the black and gold, what was supposed to be a strength has turned into a unit that’s solid at best.
The numbers don’t lie. While they’re crushing it against the run and sacking QBs, the Steelers are a middle-of-the-pack 17th in stopping the pass. Even worse? They’re among the league’s worst, ranking 30th in yards after catch allowed and dead last, 32nd, in average separation allowed per target. That’s a huge red flag. With Joe Burrow, CJ Stroud, and Trevor Lawrence still waiting on the schedule, this secondary looks like a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode.
The Steelers have a bye week to figure this out. They’re sitting pretty right now in the AFC North, but if they don’t fix these glaring issues in the secondary, those dominant wins and top rankings won’t mean a thing when they face off against some of the league’s best passing attacks. This is where their “long-term potential” truly hangs in the balance.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Behind the Steel Curtain.
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