The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense hasn’t been shy about setting the bar high. Juan Thornhill called it potentially the best of all time, Patrick Queen said it’s the best he’s ever played for, and Mike Tomlin himself insisted the group is capable of doing “historic” things. Through two weeks, that all looks like a total farce.
Breaking the defense down to its most basic performance metrics, it’s been downright awful. The Steelers have allowed 394.5 yards and 28 points per game. Those are the fourth- and eighth-worst marks in the league, respectively. For the NFL’s highest-paid defense at $162.