Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh 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 Colts rank first in total offense (385 yards per game) and are No. 1 in scoring offense (33.8 points per game). Indianapolis is the only team in the league to score 30+ points five times since Week 3.
To say the least, rhe Colts offense is on a historic pace right now. They have the second-most points per drive (3.46) through Week 8 since 1978. They are in the same category as the 2007 New England Patriots, 2000 St. Louis Rams and 2018 Kansas City Chiefs.
On the flip side, 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.
Given how the two teams have played in recent weeks, many are not giving the Steelers a chance on Sunday. Steelers defensive captain Cam Heyward is not concerned about the outside noise, however.
“I don’t really worry about it. I’m worried about the guys in the room, worried about attacking it, trying to get better. Man, if I paid any attention to all of that, I think I would have too much on my plate,” Heyward said. “The goal is to win. I don’t care how it’s done. I take a lot of pride in what I do, and hopefully everybody else does, too.”
Heyward knows he and the defense will have their hands full with stopping Taylor.
“I think Jonathan Taylor requires everybody’s focus,” Heyward said. “He is lighting people up. He is bouncing off blocks. His contact balance doesn’t get talked about enough, so we’ve got to have multiple guys to the ball. We’ve gotta make sure we really rally.”
Taylor paces the league in rushing yards (850), carries (143), rushes of 20-plus yards (6) and touchdowns on the ground (12). In total, he has 14 touchdowns from scrimmage this season. He’s on pace to record 30 touchdowns from scrimmage this year, which would be second-most in NFL history. LaDainian Tomlinson has the record with 31 in 2006.
Alan Saunders and Brendan Howe provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers DT Cam Heyward Not Worried About the Naysayers
