The Pittsburgh Steelers need to get things back on track as soon as possible, but they don’t have the easiest opponent to do it against this week, with the Buffalo Bills set to come to town. Every game late in the year usually means more, but this one especially does with the Bills being one game ahead in the Wild Card race.
The Bills’ offense could be a tough matchup for a defense that’s been very inconsistent. Former NFL QB Dan Orlovsky thinks it’s too good a matchup for Buffalo, and is disappointed with the level the Steelers are playing at defensively.
“I don’t think the Steelers’ defense is good enough to slow down this offense, unless you give them the opportunities to, to dominate the game. Chicago gave them one. Because they didn’t chip him [Watt] and he gets home, and it’s a sack-fumble touchdown. So, it’s a defense that has high-end players, that doesn’t play at a high level,” Orlovsky said Tuesday on the One Bills Live podcast.
The Steelers have been able to take advantage of their opportunities this year, for the most part. There was a couple-game stretch in which they didn’t force a turnover, but when they do force them, they come in bunches. Two of their wins, coincidentally against two of the top three seeds in the AFC, came with 11 combined turnovers.
They did have that one opportunity against Chicago, with Caleb Williams fumbling in the end zone. The Steelers took advantage of it, and Yahya Black also ripped a fumble away later in the game. But aside from that, the defense wasn’t really doing much to force any mistakes. When the Steelers can’t win the turnover battle, they’ve yet to prove themselves capable of beating good teams.
The Bills are a good team. Orlovsky can see them having success through the air and on the ground come Sunday.
“I would tell you, as a unit, they’re playing poorly. As a whole defensive group. The secondary, I’m just being honest, there are multiple times a game, where I write down as a note, I don’t know what this defense is doing. There’s gashes in their secondary,” Orlovsky said. “As a run defense, has not played at a high level. The more you motion and run the football at the same time, you can rip off runs against this defense.”
The secondary has looked a bit better in recent weeks, but the game against Chicago wasn’t one of them. There were several times in which receivers ran open, as DJ Moore did on this touchdown.
That throw capped off a drive in which the Bears threw the ball five straight times and completed every pass for at least 14 yards. Drives like that defensively just can’t happen for teams trying to make a playoff race. It’s just way too easy, and the miscommunication is clear as day here. The Steelers get caught in cover 3, and Brandin Echols passes his receiver off to Jalen Ramsey, who went the opposite direction to defend another receiver breaking free.
It’s just a bad scheme for the Steelers, and the Bills aren’t an easy team to fix things against, especially on the ground, where Orlovsky has concerns. The run defense hasn’t been bad for the Steelers, and it wasn’t the reason for Sunday’s loss. But James Cook is no slouch. He’s already got 1,084 rushing yards on an average of 5.4 per attempt.
Standing at 6-5, the Steelers absolutely need to win this game. A loss means a win for Buffalo, who would then be two games up with a tiebreaker in hand. And if the Ravens beat Cincinnati, the Steelers would be a full game behind them. If there was a time for the Steelers’ defense to revive itself, it’s this week against the Bills.
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