Copyright Newsweek
The Pittsburgh Steelers faced the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in what was hyped as a "revenge" game for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. While Rodgers played a solid game, the Steelers gave up a 16-7 halftime lead and lost to Jordan Love and company, 35-25. With a 4-3 record, they're still in first place in the AFC North, with some help from the fact that the Baltimore Ravens have struggled mightily and the injury to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Pittsburgh could be on its way to reaching the playoffs, but for a franchise that has won six Super Bowl championships, merely reaching the postseason isn't exactly enough, especially when Rodgers is under center. Fox Sports 1 personality Nick Wright pointed out the big elephant in the room for Pittsburgh — despite some highly paid players on defense and a defensive-minded coach in Mike Tomlin, its defense has been weak. “When Mike Tomlin is your head coach, in theory, you shouldn’t need the highest-paid defense in the history of pro football to have a great defense,” Wright said. “They gave that to him anyway, but for the defense to be this bad with that many star players on it and a defensive-minded coach is unforgivable.” Read more: Packers, Jordan Love Receive Huge Prediction Following Dominant Week 8 Win Tomlin has had some excellent defensive teams in his 19 seasons as the Steelers' head coach, and of course, he guided them to their most recent Super Bowl title during the 2008 season. But right now, their defense has major problems despite boasting some pretty big names. They rank 22nd in points allowed and 30th in total yards allowed, and their pass defense has been particularly weak, as it is dead last in passing yards given up. T.J. Watt, their superstar edge rusher, isn't producing like he has in the past, and their acquisition of veteran cornerback Jalen Ramsey, a seven-time Pro Bowler, isn't paying dividends. Watt, Cameron Heyward, Alex Highsmith and Patrick Queen, all of whom are very capable defenders, are making eight figures this season, and it almost seems as if most of that money is going to waste, at least so far. A little bit of help is on the way for Pittsburgh, however. On Tuesday, they agreed to acquire safety Kyle Dugger from the New England Patriots for a seventh-round draft pick and a sixth-round pick swap. Dugger isn't a huge game-wrecker, but he had 24 passes defended and nine interceptions over the previous four seasons. Read more: 49ers Legend Jerry Rice Picks Current Best WR Without Hesitation The team will have an opportunity to make a big statement when it plays the Indianapolis Colts, who have an NFL-best 7-1 record, this Sunday.
