Pittsburgh’s defense, once looking solid through Weeks 1 and 2, has officially hit the skids, and now veteran cornerback Jalen Ramsey is straight up calling out a “disconnect” between the players and coaches. This isn’t just locker room chatter, folks, Ramsey’s words hit hard, right when the unit is leaking points and looking lost.
The Numbers Don’t Lie: Defense Is a Disaster Zone
Let’s just look at the cold, hard facts since Week 3. This isn’t a slump, it’s a full-blown crisis. The Steelers rank a dismal 29th in EPA per play. Twenty-ninth! Think about that for a second. They’ve given up 54 points in just a couple of weeks, and offenses are carving them up with lightning speed. Teams are getting the ball out against them with the fourth-quickest time to throw over that span. It’s like opponents know exactly what’s coming, or worse, they know the Steelers can’t stop it. This isn’t the dominant defense we saw early on; this is a unit that’s struggling to even keep pace.
Ramsey Drops a Bomb: “That’s Not How Football Works”
When Jalen Ramsey, a multiple-time All-Pro and Super Bowl winner, speaks, you listen. And what he said on Friday about new secondary members Sean Murphy-Bunting and Terell Smith is a bombshell. He hinted at major issues, saying, “The coaches have to put [new secondary members] out there with us so we can all get on the same page.” But then he went further, exposing the real problem: “There’s a little bit of a disconnect here right now, just with what we want to do on the field and how we play as a team and together as a secondary vs. just throwing a playbook in their hands and the coaches saying ‘This is how it has to look.’ That’s not how football works.”
Ramsey didn’t stop there. He stressed that the best teams he’s been on are player-led, echoing comments from “Aaron” (presumably Aaron Rodgers, though the source doesn’t specify). He laid it out plain: “We’re the ones on the field, we’re the ones that see and feel how the game is going and the flow of the game. When we can all be on the same page, it usually brings some success. Instead of just some guys going with the flow of the game, some guys going off of experience, and some guys having a playbook stuck in their locker and have to learn by the book things that offenses nowadays in 2026 don’t give you by the book drawn up formations.” When a proven veteran like Ramsey, one of the most respected players on the roster, speaks this candidly, it’s not just a hint; it’s a full-blown declaration that things are not right. This isn’t just about X’s and O’s; it’s about trust and collaboration. And right now, it sounds like both are in short supply in Pittsburgh.
This “disconnect” is huge, and it’s something that has to be monitored closely. If this unit keeps bleeding points and falling apart, Ramsey’s words could be the definitive statement on why.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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