Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is not expecting the same performance from his defense this week.
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense struggled mightily to stop the Cincinnati Bengals in their 33-31 loss in Week 7. Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin does not expect to see a similar performance in their second meeting of the season this week, though.
Austin revealed that his confidence in the group is simply that it had a bad day a month ago.
“I just think we obviously didn’t play very well that day,” Austin said. “Every day’s a single day. Every game takes on its own life. I think we’ve got a little bit more stability in the back end in terms of how we’re playing people and where they are. So, you need that against a group like this. They’re dynamic. They got obviously the receivers. They got a good tight end. They got a running back that can run and catch. They attack you from all angles. I just think us being a little bit more stable in terms of substitution, who’s in, who’s out, will help us hopefully play a little better this time.”
Pittsburgh has made several changes to its defense since it last faced Cincinnati. Three-time first-team All-Pro Jalen Ramsey has moved to safety full time and has played well. The team also added two more defensive backs in safety Kyle Dugger and cornerback Asante Samuel Jr.
It’s unclear if Samuel will play since he just signed with the Steelers this week and is coming back from a neck injury that required surgery, which has kept him sidelined to this point.
However, Dugger has already proven his ability to help fill the void left by injured safety DeShon Elliott, and Austin believes that will only continue.
“I think he’ll continue to grow, just like anybody else,” Austin continued. “He’s a veteran. Really similar to what I talked about with Joe Flacco on the other side in terms of being in a team, being able to see it, how things move, being able to adapt and feel more comfortable in his position. I think KD is doing the same thing.”
The Bengals offense exploded for 470 yards as Flacco passed for 342 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions in Week 7.
Only time will tell if Pittsburgh’s new faces on defense will help prevent that from happening again, but the team is certainly hoping that’s the case as it has lost three of its last four games.
Brendan Howe provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Teryl Austin Confident Steelers Defense Will Bounce Back vs. Bengals
