Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers once again got gashed on the ground in Sunday’s 31-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle rushed for 117 yards on 29 carries (4.0 average). Kenneth Walker III led the Seahawks with 105 yards rushing on 13 carries for a whopping 8.1 average and a touchdown.
It’s the second straight week that the Steelers have allowed over 100 yards rushing. The New York Jets racked up 182 yards (4.7 average) in Week 1.
Overall, the Steelers defense has left a lot to be desired in the first two weeks.
The Steelers have allowed 31+ points in the first two weeks of a season for the first time since 1989. Last year, the defense allowed 30 points twice all season.
“We’re too talented. We have way too good of schemes. To allow this to happen week after week,” a surly T.J. Watt said after the game when asked about the run defense.
The Steelers are allowing 28 points per game over their last nine games (including playoffs). The run defense woes continue to be an issue after the Baltimore Ravens rushed for nearly 300 yards in the Wild Card loss last January.
“There’s always an emphasis on the run. The first note of every single week is smash the run,” Watt said. “You guys have heard me say for nine years, we’re always trying to smash the run. It’s not a lack of trying. Schematically (and) effort, I don’t know we’ll have to look at the film, but we need to be better. … It’s not fun football right now. We need to get back to doing what we do best and that’s stopping the run forth and foremost to create those longer down and distances.
Linebackers Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson both think the run defense issues have not carried over from last year. Queen claims it’s different things.
“It just comes to execution,” Wilson said. “I think football is all about execution and effort. In the second half, we definitely got out-executed and maybe out-efforted.
When asked about how deflating it is to get gashed in the run, Watt had a blunt response.
“Very deflating. We’re sitting here talking about it the whole press conference,” Watt said sharply.
Kenneth Walker had four runs of 10+ yards on Sunday, while the Jets had six last week.
“We just got to be better, and we will be,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said.
Alan Saunders and Brendan Howe provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: T.J. Watt Sounds Off on Steelers’ Run Defense: ‘It’s Not Fun Football Right Now’
