The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense is playing worse than expected, and there are a couple reasons for that. Some point to an aging unit, one with stars in their 30s who aren’t performing up to expectations. Others look at the coaching from Mike Tomlin, Teryl Austin and the rest of the staff.
“The guy that’s under the microscope is Teryl Austin,” ESPN’s Marcus Spears said Wednesday on First Take. “The defensive coordinator.”
Austin isn’t the most-liked Steelers coordinator in recent memory. His unit started to struggle against the run halfway through the 2024 season, and those issues have just never gone away.