The Steelers defense thought it could do 'historic things' in 2025, but it hasn't worked out so far

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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike Tomlin went on a local radio station over the summer and said he believed the Pittsburgh Steelers defense could do “historic things” in 2025.

It's on a path to do just that, just not in the way the NFL's longest-tenured head coach or anyone else inside the organization imagined.

Yet even after getting shredded for a second consecutive week and with the Steelers (4-3) 30th in the NFL in yards against — territory the franchise hasn't sniffed since the late 1980s — Tomlin does not see any need for panic.

So don't expect massive changes to the coaching staff or the roster as Pittsburgh tries to find a way forward on Sunday against Indianapolis (7-1), which has been on an absolute heater all season thanks to the NFL's top offense led by a resurgent Daniel Jones.

Tomlin brushed aside the suggestion he should take over playcalling duties from defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, instead putting the onus on all involved to help a well-compensated but floundering group find its footing.

“We just got to keep doing what we’re doing, and do it better,” Tomlin said Tuesday.

A lot better.

The Steelers are dead last in the league against the pass and let Green Bay's Jordan Love do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted during a second-half barrage on Sunday night that left Pittsburgh's veteran-laden defense reeling. Love completed 20 straight passes at one point on his way to 360 yards and three touchdowns without an interception or a sack.

Longtime Steelers defensive captain Cam Heyward said afterward he was alarmed by what he considered a lack of fight. Tomlin didn't necessarily see that on tape, but he also didn't see the kind of splash plays — turnovers in particular — that have been the team's calling card defensively for years.

“You know, you don’t get credit for trying hard,” Tomlin said. “We’re not in the try-hard business. Our fight is about production and producing.”

And Pittsburgh is doing little of either of late. The Steelers didn't produce a takeaway in October after racking up 10 across their first four games.

“There’s a price to pay when you miss opportunities,” Tomlin said. “And so it’s not only about producing opportunities, but it’s about taking advantage of them. And we hadn’t done that.”

No, they haven't, letting a chance to take a firm grasp of the AFC North lead vanish in the process. While Pittsburgh remains the only team in the division with a winning record, the schedule is about to get more challenging.

Four of the Steelers' next five games are against teams currently above .500 and that's before a finishing stretch that includes a pair of showdowns with rival Baltimore, which finds itself in last place but will also return two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson this week.

To survive, Pittsburgh will need to do a better job not only on defense but also in keeping its composure when things go sideways.

That didn't happen against the Packers, when a non-call on an apparent offside by the Packers early in the second half seemed to shift momentum in a way the Steelers couldn't recover from.

Asked if a team with such an experienced group, particularly on defense, should be reacting better to adversity at the season's midway point, Tomlin nodded.

“Our kids should do what we tell them to do, but they often don’t,” Tomlin said. “You know, we all fall short of perfection, man. That’s why we’re always working, as individuals and as a collective, whether it’s football or life.”

Pittsburgh will have to face Indianapolis without safety DeShon Elliott, who is out indefinitely with a hyperextended right knee. They have well-traveled replacements at the ready in Chuck Clark and Jabrill Peppers, though Tomlin didn't rule out adding another player or two to the mix. The Steelers worked out nine-year veteran Vonn Bell — who has spent most of his career with Cincinnati — on Tuesday.

The club also kicked the tires on free agent wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling on Monday. If Pittsburgh signs the two-time Super Bowl champion, it would reunite him with Aaron Rodgers. The two were teammates in Green Bay from 2018-21.

The Steelers have been relatively efficient on offense this year with Rodgers at the controls. The 41-year-old has thrown 16 touchdown passes through seven weeks, putting him on pace to threaten the club record of 34 set by Ben Roethlisberger in 2018.

The bigger issue for Pittsburgh isn't the lack of a clear No. 2 wide receiver to put opposite DK Metcalf, but a defense that is not meeting expectations.

While it's not unheard of for the Steelers to fire a coordinator during the season — they did it two years ago when they jettisoned Matt Canada in November — Tomlin does not seem ready to make any such move with the popular Austin.

“I've largely been pleased with his work,” Tomlin said of Austin, who has been with the club since 2019 and the defensive coordinator since 2022. “But certainly he and I are not pleased with where we are right now from a defensive unit perspective, and so we’re just going to keep working.”

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