The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense hasn’t been up to snuff this season. It has a lot of talent, but that hasn’t always been evident on the field. However, that unit has somewhat improved recently. It had a dominant performance against the Indianapolis Colts, and then, it had a fine outing against the Los Angeles Chargers. Unfortunately, the Steelers’ offense couldn’t support the defense against the Chargers. T.J. Watt said after that game that the Steelers’ defense is too reliant on turnovers, but Joey Porter Jr. disagrees.
“No, but who doesn’t want turnovers?” Porter asked on Thursday via the team’s website. “We just gotta keep working. Everybody wants a turnover. That’s never not going to be our case. We just gotta play great ball overall.”
Porter makes a good point. The Steelers’ ability to produce turnovers isn’t a coincidence. That’s a goal for that unit every week. Mike Tomlin always stresses winning the turnover battle.
The Steelers’ defense has had a few performances with multiple turnovers. It forced five turnovers against the New England Patriots, and it had a similar outing against the Colts. Overall, the Steelers are third in the league in takeaways with 16.
Also, despite what Watt said, the Steelers’ defense wasn’t awful against the Chargers. Yes, it didn’t force any turnovers, but it frustrated the Chargers. The Steelers recorded 5 sacks and held the Chargers to 6-17 on third down. Had their offense been less anemic, then the Steelers’ defense could’ve had a better day.
However, like Watt, Porter isn’t satisfied with the defense’s performance. He knows they have other things to clean up.
“Be efficient in everything else. Stopping the run, getting your hands on balls, getting off on third down. That’s really our biggest goal right now, just get off the field on third down if we’re not making turnovers. We all want to make turnovers and make plays, but if that’s not working, then what’s the next solution?”
That’s the key for the Steelers’ defense. If it isn’t forcing turnovers, it needs to tighten up elsewhere. It showed flashes of that against the Chargers. However, it hasn’t been consistent enough. Explosive plays and third downs have been a problem.
This week will be a good test in both of those departments. The Steelers will play the Cincinnati Bengals, and their offense produced plenty of big plays against the Steelers’ defense earlier in the year. Ja’Marr Chase in particular was a problem. The Steelers’ defense will need to improve in this matchup.
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