After another poor defensive performance against the Green Bay Packers during a 35-25 loss Sunday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense is now giving up 386 yards per game. That ranks 30th in the NFL.
In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLive says there is no easy solution to what ails the team on that side of the ball.
“I think their defense is unfixable. Most of their big names — maybe all their big names — are washed up. I’m talking (T.J.) Watt, (Cameron) Heyward, (Darius) Slay and (Jalen) Ramsey. Can’t tackle, can’t cover, zero sacks.”
Not to mention a lack of turnovers. You have to go back to the win in Ireland over the Minnesota Vikings to find one of those.
“They’re not just disappointing. They stink. T.J. Watt is invisible. Thank God they gave him a deal worth $41 million a year,” Madden said sarcastically. “Cam Heyward ain’t going to get nowhere near his okie-doke bonus incentives. They kept those guys around too long, especially at that price. And then they brought in Slay and Ramsey, who they just shouldn’t have brought in, because they’re done. Those are the four key players on that defense, and they all just aren’t any good.”
More sports
• Airing of Grievances: Another defensive disaster, 3rd-down deficiencies define Steelers’ loss to Green Bay
• Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers gets the feels — but not a win — facing former team, Packers
• Steelers debut new throwback uniform that’s heavy on yellow
• Steelers lose S DeShon Elliott, DT Daniel Ekuale to ‘significant’ knee injuries
Madden isn’t letting the offense off the hook either.
“I think (Aaron) Rodgers is doing his best despite being in an offense that makes him into a game manager, but he’s honestly the only Steeler that I don’t place heavy blame on,” Madden said. “Maybe Jaylen Warren too, because they just stopped running the ball in the second half tonight. I’m not sure why. But that defense, first and foremost, is the villain in the Steelers’ drama.”
With the 7-1 Indianapolis Colts coming up, followed by the 5-3 Los Angeles Chargers, Madden is predicting bad things on the horizon.
“This is not a good football team. It’s going to be 4-5 after two more games,” Madden said.
“It is a team with no cutting edge in its decision-making anymore. It’s a team that just wants no one in its employment to ever know an unpleasant moment. You know who gets to enjoy the unpleasant moment? The fans. That’s who gets to know the unpleasant moments.”
Well, given how many Packers fans were in attendance, I’d argue some fans actually enjoyed it. But that’s a gripe for a different podcast.
Elsewhere in this episode, Madden and I discuss the state of the AFC North, the Penguins Hall of Fame celebration Saturday night, the national sports gambling investigation and more.
