Steelers Now
Former Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott thinks the Pittsburgh Steelers have been exposed in the last two weeks, and things will only get worst now with tougher teams on the schedule.
The Steelers started off 4-1, but two of the wins were against the lowly New York Jets and Cleveland Browns. The two other wins came against the New England Patriots and the Minnesota Vikings with Carson Wentz. The Steelers eked out a 21-14 win over New England despite forcing five turnovers.
“I think they’re paper champions,” Scott said of the Steelers on ESPN’s Get Up. “They haven’t played a lot of hard opponents and listen, the way their defense is playing, they can’t beat anybody that can punch back. And you look at last week, giving up 360 yards to Jordan Love. They can’t stop the run. They can’t stop the pass. This is supposed to be the most, this is the most expensive defense in the NFL. And you’re what? 28th in the league?
The Steelers defense has allowed 68 points and 858 yards in their last two games. Things won’t get easier for the defense this Sunday, either. The Indianapolis Colts have the league’s best offense and an MVP candidate in running back Jonathan Taylor. Taylor has three scrimmage touchdowns in four of his eight games this season.
The Steelers defense is on track to be the worst in franchise history. They currently rank 30th in total defense (386.0 yards per game) and dead last in pass defense (273.3 yards per game). They also haven’t forced a turnover since the Week 4 win over the Minnesota Vikings in Ireland.
Scott thinks Sunday’s game will not be pretty for the Steelers. He also expects the surging Ravens to catch the Steelers in the AFC North.
“So, I think that they still have to play the Ravens twice later in the season, right? And they have a real viable opponent in front of ’em this week,” Scott said. “Maybe the best slept on and most slept opponent in the AFC in the Colts.”
The Ravens have played the fourth-toughest schedule so far this year, according to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football. Baltimore will play the sixth-easiest schedule the rest of the year. The next six quarterbacks the Ravens will face are J.J. McCarthy, Dillon Gabriel, Justin Fields, Joe Flacco, Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco.
After the Colts, the Steelers play the Los Angeles Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals, Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens. Only the game against the Dolphins seems like a for sure win.
In July, Dan Graziano of ESPN compared the Steelers to the Philadelphia Eagles’ Dream Team in 2011. Despite the hype, things didn’t work out for the Eagles that season, as they went 8-8 and missed the playoffs.
So far, Graziano has been right about the 2025 Steelers. Aaron Rodgers has been good, but the highest-paid defense in the NFL has failed to...
