Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — It had been over 50 years since the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense was pushed around like it was at home on Sunday night, but T.J. Watt didn’t want to jump to the gun as to why.
Watt said he’ll need to see some tape to confirm what went wrong during a 26-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
“We’ll have to watch the film, but it was an ass kicking in all areas,” the Steelers’ all-time sack leader said afterward.
That description is apt for a performance in which the defense was velcroed on blocks and had trouble bringing down Josh Allen and the Bills’ tailbacks, allowing 249 rushing yards. James Cook led his side with 144 yards on 32 gives.
Per ESPN Insights, Buffalo’s output was the highest by a Steelers opponent in Pittsburgh since Sept. 28, 1975, when the Bills rumbled for 310 yards. O.J. Simpson paced Buffalo with 227 yards on the ground that day.
“It’s frustrating because we haven’t been consistent,” Steelers outside linebacker Alex Highsmith said. “One game we’ll stop the run, and this happened tonight. Everyone’s gotta look at themselves in the mirror. … Tonight was unacceptable, and we’ve gotta flush it quick.”
James Cook’s 19-yard run on the first play from scrimmage set the tone. The Bills also had runs of 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 31 yards on the night.
“We all have to be accountable for our gaps. It’s 11-on-11, and you have to not only have guys in the right gaps, but also tackle well,” veteran defensive lineman Cam Heyward said.
“Some of the big runs that hit on us, we went over a bunch of times this week,” inside linebacker Payton Wilson said. “We’ll just have to continue to execute.”
The Bills possessed the ball for nearly 42 minutes, adding to the Steelers’ frustrations.
“I thought it was just as it wore on, the attrition component of it became a factor,” said longtime Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, who’d heard the crowd calling for his job during the loss. “I’m not going to say too much tonight. I’ll take a look at the tape, but certainly it was below the line and increasingly so.”
The Steelers will turn their attention toward Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens, who steamrolled for 299 rushing yards the last time the two teams played, in last year’s AFC Wild Card playoff.
“If you can’t say ‘I was wrong on this play, and I need to be in this gap’ — and do your one-eleventh — it kinda sets our team back,” Heyward said. “Not pointing anybody out, but myself included, we all have to be responsible for what we do on that field.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: How Can Steelers Run Defense Recover After Being Blasted by Bills?
