Steelers questionable run defense will make or break their 2022 season

The Pittsburgh Steelers have multiple aspects of their team to work on while entering their 2022 slate, but which one needs the most attention?

The other day, I made a point of defending the financial commitment that the Steelers made regarding star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, stating that keeping playmakers within the defensive secondary should be one of their top priorities.

However, that does not necessarily mean that the passing defense should be the top priority, as that title belongs to something else: the rushing defense.

Similar to the aforementioned secondary, Pittsburgh’s rushing defense is also headlined by some elite talents here and there (most notably names like T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward, though they are predominantly known for their efforts on the pass rush). But despite this, it has some concerns of its own that need attention, and with urgency.

The primary reason for said urgency would have to be the unsettling statistical comparison between each half of the defensive presence.

Looking at Pittsburgh’s stats from last season, its passing defense was a rather decent squad but brought nothing too outstanding to the table. While being noticeably closer to the top than the bottom, it failed to truly stand out in regards to both yards and touchdowns given up. It also snagged a relatively average amount of interceptions when compared to that of other numbers around the league.

As for their ability to stop opposing run games, the Steelers were a complete and utter wreck. They were dead last the NFL in the following categories: rushing yards allowed (2483), yards allowed per carry (5.0), runs of 20 yards or more allowed (24), and rushing 1st downs given up (144, tied with Chargers).

Because we’re on the topic of unflattering performances, I feel obligated to point out that they even managed to hit second place in runs of 40 yards or more allowed (3, tied with Jets and Patriots).

A defense that poor would be an unacceptable sight when paired up against ordinary rushing offenses, but for what it’s worth, this rapidly-approaching stretch doesn’t seem to plan on giving Pittsburgh too many of those anyway.

The Steelers will have no assistance from their schedule this season

When breaking down the reasons to lock down strong defensive back units, I made a point of mentioning several of the well-established quarterbacks that the Steelers will be encountering this fall.

A fair share of them have the proven ability—and offensive line play—to slap the Steel City into a heap of trouble. Well, that exact same thing can be said about a chunk of the running backs that are on the horizon as well.

Pittsburgh’s upcoming slate involves facing a brutal array of RBs that includes (but is not limited to) Alvin Kamara, Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey, Josh Jacobs, Joe Mixon (twice), and Nick Chubb (twice).

That devilish assortment doesn’t even address the intimidating amount of mobile quarterback play that 2022 also has in store for the Steelers, courtesy of guys like Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, and Lamar Jackson (twice).

It’s hard to come across a defense that struggles as much as this one does, despite having the count of promising players that this one does. Let’s just hope that this nightmare ends soon, as it has become evident that neither the AFC North nor the rest of the league intends to wait up on the black and yellow.