The Pittsburgh Steelers arguably had one of the toughest second half schedules in the NFL and an even tougher gauntlet with three games in an 11-day span coming into this season. Since Week 10 after the Steelers' bye week, they've gone 3-3 and are currently on a two-game losing streak. Pittsburgh has shown flashes of being a top contender in the AFC, but have stumbled recently on both sides of the ball. Injuries have been an issue and at a bad time as these players don't have the full week to heal before going into another game. Pittsburgh's defense has taken the worst of the injuries and it has shown in the past two games.
DeShon Elliott and Larry Ogunjobi have missed multiple games. Elliott has been a force on Pittsburgh's defense this season and his presence is definitely missed. The safety has been a top run defender during his first season in Pittsburgh and the defense has lacked in the run game the past two contests.
Against the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers' defense has given up 351 rushing yards and 819 total yards. On top of that, 61 points have been scored on Pittsburgh's defense in that same timeframe. There's definitely concerns and questions about the defensive performance. Former NFL head coach Rex Ryan spoke on ESPN's Get Up Monday morning and raised some questions about this defensive unit.
"Well, these last two weeks, I've got concerns with their defense," Ryan said. "Their defense, is it really as good as we think? Last two weeks, they’ve given up 61 points, 819 yards. Are we sure this defense is great? I’m not so sure."
Pittsburgh's defense is the most expensive defense in the NFL and in the past few years, this team has prided themselves on this unit. Head Coach Mike Tomlin is also a defensive minded coach as his philosophy is usually to keep games close and win it in the end. For the past two games, this hasn't been the case and although the defense has let up a good amount of yards and points, the offense has made their own mistakes as well.
A constant bright spot on the defense has been Cameron Heyward. Even at 35-years-old, he's having one of his best seasons in recent years. He has eight sacks and eight pass deflections through 16 weeks of the season. However, he can't do everything himself and when the defense is on the field constantly, it takes a lot out of defenders.
Donte Jackson also missed the Ravens game on Saturday. He currently leads the team with five interceptions. Having any starter out on defense can hurt, but the Steelers always preach next man up and being this close to the postseason, players need to fill important shoes when their teammates go down with an injury.
The defense will need to figure it out quickly. Even though the team has already clinched a playoff spot, they still have a chance to win the AFC North and secure home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Patrick Queen called out his defense after the Ravens game Saturday, so hopefully that was a wake up call for everyone.
Steelers Could Be Without Their Top Corner Wednesday
On Saturday, Joey Porter Jr went down with an apparent leg injury. He ultimately came back in for a few plays to try and play through it, but was ruled out. Tomlin gave an uncertain update about Porter's injury during his press conference on Sunday. Tomlin revealed there wasn't any news about his injury, but it would be tough for him to play on a four-day turnaround.
Pittsburgh's defense did get some other good news as Jackson, Elliott and Ogunjobi are all questionable for Wednesday's Christmas Day matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs and have a real chance to play. They were reported as limited participants on Sunday if the Steelers were to hold a practice. If Porter ultimately can't go, the Steelers will hopefully get much needed reinforcements back from injury.
