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Here’s where the Steelers’ defense still has room to grow
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- Here’s where the Steelers’ defense still has room to grow
Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images | Getty Images
It's a good time to be a Steelers fan. Pittsburgh sits atop the AFC North entering a Week 9 bye, coming off a big win over the rival Cleveland Browns where the Steelers both scored a lot of points (27) and didn't give up many (six).
As a result, you're going to see a lot of positive Steelers coverage over the next two weeks. And for good reason. The team's running game and front seven were undoubtedly elite against Cleveland. Pittsburgh has been playing like one of the NFL's best teams as of the late.
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But as knowledgeable NFL writers/podcasters Jon Ledyard and Derrick Bell quipped following the Browns game, a lot is going right for the Steelers, "but the forward pass, especially on offense, still stands between them and greatness."
Most are aware of the Steelers' passing deficiencies on offense, but I'd argue that on the other side of the ball, Pittsburgh's passing defense could be a similarly limiting factor on the team's long-term potential.
Pittsburgh's safety room has been an apparent issue since before the season started, and even with Robert Spears-Jennings blowing past Year 1 expectations as a seventh-round rookie, the play at the position has been a weaker spot on defense. DeShon Elliott missed much of the early season with injury and hasn't been that impactful since returning, while free agent signing Jaquan Brisker hasn't always been able to rise to the challenge when it comes to coverage ability and instincts.
Meanwhile at cornerback, the group's injury issues have largely subsided at this point in the season. But with Joey Porter Jr. — by far the best player in the secondary — never suiting up for the black and gold before being traded to Dallas, an expected strength on defense has turned into a position that's been solid at best in 2026.
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All of that's to say, despite Pittsburgh having not allowed 20 points in each of its last three games, the "elite" label the defense has earned as of late doesn't feel accurate to the state of the secondary, which looks like a potentially ticking time bomb with Joe Burrow, CJ Stroud and Trevor Lawrence still waiting on the schedule.
Pittsburgh's season defensive stats match the eye test. While ranking near the top of the league in stopping the run (third), sacking the quarterback (first), and forcing a quick time to throw (third — partially explaining a surprisingly middling pressure rate), the Steelers are middle of the pack when stopping the pass (17th) and among the worst in yards after catch allowed (30th) and average separation allowed per target (32nd).
The dichotomy was obvious in Pittsburgh's recent big win over Cleveland, where the Steelers' front seven dominated to the tune of eight team sacks and only 34 rushing yards allowed, holding the Browns to single-digit points. However, Browns quarterback DeShaun Watson passed for 324 yards — and while it's more than fair to point out that Cleveland was in a must-pass situation for much of the game and against a prevent-oriented Steelers defense late, the Browns also missed a number of open passing opportunities that would've juiced Watson's numbers even more.
Essentially, in the rare instances when the Steelers' pass rush wasn't completely dominating on Sunday, the Pittsburgh secondary wasn't exactly holding up its end of the bargain.
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Here are some of the bigger plays the Steelers gave up in the passing game on Sunday:
In the first clip above, Brisker just gets beat, plain and simple, when manned up against a good receiving tight end in the Browns' Harold Fannin Jr. On the second, the Browns find the open space in the Steelers' two-high coverage, with Brisker stuck in no man's land between the running back and the corner route. In the final clip, there's a miscommunication between Daylen Everette and Asante Samuel Jr., with both jumping the same route as KC Concepcion scoots by both for a 20-plus-yard gain.
To be fair, only the last play is a true breakdown in coverage, with the first two being the sort of man- and zone-beaters you expect to see work at some point in an NFL game (even if you would hope Brisker holds up better against tight ends in coverage).
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However, it could've been a lot worse:
In the first clip above, Samuel loses Jerry Jeudy (bottom of the screen wide receiver) in coverage; the Browns receiver was open for a 70-yard touchdown well before Watson threw the ball. Instead, the play goes for just a first down to Fannin.
On the next play, the Browns run a play-action concept, and with both safeties preoccupied by the deep route, Samuel is left to choose between covering Denzel Boston and going after Watson. He never really commits to either, and is saved by a terrible throw by Watson. It negates what would've been a 20- or 30-yard gain.
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The next play is much tighter coverage and a bit more nit-picky than the other examples in this article, but Boston clearly gets a step on Jamel Dean with the Steelers in quarters. Brisker stops his feet and leaves the corner on an island, losing inside leverage. A good throw closer to the post is a touchdown.
Finally, there's a late-game extended play where Jeudy once again finds himself open, with no Steelers defender within five yards of him in any direction. Watson steps up in the pocket, draws Jeudy even more open, and then checks it down to the running back — who still gets the first down.
Of course, you can go back and watch any good NFL defensive performance and find open players who were missed. However, I'd argue there were a lot more than usual in the Steelers' Sunday win.
But there's also another level of nuance: It was a good gameplan by the Steelers, who knew they could beat the Browns with pressure, unleashing their second-highest single-game blitz rate of the season thus far (30%). Watson, who has actually had a solid 2026, looked uncomfortable and inaccurate all game. The Steelers' front seven feasted, the secondary benefited from off-target throws, and Pittsburgh didn't give up a touchdown in a three-score win.
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Honestly, my thoughts in this article can best be summed up by the below play, where Robert Spears-Jennings jumps Denzel Boston's route, throwing Watson out of rhythm and into an eventual sack. With no coverage help behind Spears-Jennings, Boston was left wide open — but the aggression, paired with pressure, resulted in a positive play for the Steelers.
However, it won't always be that easy — especially later in the season and postseason against better quarterbacks and passing offenses (Frankly, besides Burrow and Drake Maye, have the Steelers faced many good passers this year?). The Steelers' pass defense as a whole has been adequate this season, but it hasn't been at the level the team's overall defensive numbers would indicate. Whether it's athleticism in man defense or chemistry in zone, there's still a lot of work to do.
But it still does feel like an improved Steelers defense than in past seasons. The pass rush has been revitalized, and as evidenced by the Browns game, that can cover for a number of sins on the back end. And the Steelers have two rookies in Robert Spears-Jennings and Daylen Everette who should only continue to develop and improve the secondary with time.
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In the short term, the Steelers also have an entire bye week to aid their preparation ahead of a rematch with a high-flying Bengals passing game in Week 10. The Steelers' secondary has some notable issues, but it's far too early to call it a season killer.
