James Harrison
James Harrison
This season is already getting rocky for the Pittsburgh Steelers. While they’re 1-1, they got crushed by the New England Patriots in Week 2. The Steelers’ offense looked dreadful, especially considering that the team wants to be a Super Bowl contender.
However, James Harrison also put the other side of the ball on blast following the Steelers’ 20-3 loss in Foxboro.
“Defense, y’all did give us a chance to win,” Harrison said Monday on his Deebo and Joe podcast. “They only scored 13 points, we had three sacks, we got two takeaways, and they was only 4-[of]-12 on third down. But we gave up too many big plays that led to points…We weren’t good enough as a whole. You’re talking about 136 yards rushing, almost five a carry…Defense is a problem, too.
“My job, as a defensive player, week in and week out, is to pitch a shutout. Is that possible? No, it’s not. But it’s 100 percent your job to try and do it every week… Because we don’t have an offense, that’s what we’ve gotta do as a defense. We’ve gotta do unreal shit… No. 1-ranked defense, that’s what we should be. We’re the highest-paid defense, we should be the best defense…Defense, we can do better.”
Harrison was a defensive player, which explains why he wants to see more out of that unit. The Steelers teams that he played for were often carried by their defense. Those units were among the best of their era.
However, it might not be fair to put so much blame on the defense for the Steelers’ Week 2 loss. Yes, that unit had some lapses that led to explosive plays for the Patriots. The tackling hasn’t been perfect, either. Despite those issues, though, it still held New England to only 13 points. In today’s NFL, it’s hard to ask for more than that.
The Steelers’ defense can tighten up in spots, but that still might not matter with the way that the offense looks. That unit has only put up 16 points through two games. It hasn’t faced amazing defenses, either. The competition will likely only get tougher.
Pittsburgh’s defense can’t be expected to score every week. Eventually, the Steelers’ offense needs to show up. It doesn’t have to turn into one of the league’s top offenses, but if it can at least be average, then the Steelers might actually become a legitimate playoff team.
However, they don’t look close to that right now. Yes, the Steelers invested a lot in their defense, so it should play lights out. That’s the standard. But even Harrison’s Steelers faltered on defense at times. Don’t forget that Larry Fitzgerald almost willed the Arizona Cardinals to a win in Super Bowl XLIII. Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes had to save the day.
It doesn’t look like the current Steelers’ offense could save itself from a papercut, though. The defense can’t be expected to play perfect. It’s going to make mistakes, and when it does, it shouldn’t be the end of the world. It’s still early in the year, so there’s time for Pittsburgh’s offense to pick up. However, that needs to happen sooner rather than later.
terrible-podcast-2026-september-21-episode-3156
terrible-podcast-2026-september-21-episode-3156