The Pittsburgh Steelers put up a dud in Week 10, losing to the Los Angeles Chargers 25-10. It was their worst performance of the season. The game was basically over mid-way through the fourth quarter, and it wasn’t very competitive overall. Although the Steelers’ defense had a strong performance in Week 9, it was less impressive in Week 10. After forcing six turnovers last week, the Steelers didn’t force a single turnover against the Chargers. That’s left T.J. Watt frustrated.
“Inconsistent as it could be,” Watt said after the game via the team’s YouTube channel. “Too much up and down, not enough Steeler football. We can’t continue to live and die by the turnovers as a defense; we need to get off the field. We need to stop the run. Critical third downs, we need to do a better job of. No excuse for it. We need to play better.”
Watt makes a good point. The Steelers’ defense is opportunistic, excelling at forcing turnovers. Week 9 wasn’t a fluke. The Steelers forced five turnovers earlier this season against the New England Patriots. That unit prides itself on getting after the ball.
However, it also needs improvement in other areas. Like Watt mentions, consistency is key. The Steelers have lacked that as a whole this year, but especially on defense. For the most part, they’ve produced more bad than good on that side of the ball.
The Steelers’ defense shouldn’t receive the bulk of the blame for their loss this week, though. Their offense was absolutely awful. While that unit scored 10 points, even that’s a generous number. It easily could’ve been worse, but the Chargers allowed the Steelers to move the ball and score a touchdown in garbage time.
Could the Steelers’ defense have been better? Yes, particularly on third downs. However, that unit wasn’t terrible, especially compared to its efforts earlier in the season. The Chargers only scored 15 points through the first three quarters, and two of those points came on a safety.
The Steelers’ defense needs to improve, and the team definitely could’ve used a turnover or two in Week 10. Overall, the Steelers’ main concerns coming out of that game shouldn’t be about their defense. The whole team needs to be more consistent.
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