The Steelers’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks was an eye-opener. Despite boasting an incredibly talented defensive roster, Aaron Rodgers and his squad were handed an embarrassing defeat, as they blew up their 14-7 halftime lead, eventually crashing 17-31. Clearly, there were several issues. As the Steelers address those before facing the Patriots in Week 3, the QB gets a tough reality check on the roster.

As The Athletic’s Dianna Russini recently pointed out in her report, both the offense and defense struggled, costing the team the game. No wonder both DC Teryl Austin and head coach Mike Tomlin came under fire for the loss against the Seahawks’ dominant game led by Sam Darnold. “Attacking Pittsburgh’s run defense is easier when running away from T.J. Watt. Seattle’s Kenneth Walker took advantage of that during the Seahawks’ 31-17 win over the Steelers, averaging 8.1 yards per carry. Their offense also struggles with the run: Pittsburgh ranks 30th in rush yards, which won’t be helped by a matchup against the Patriots’ top-three run defense next week,” Diana wrote.

This season, the Steelers were supposed to have an improved run defense. However, it fell apart in both games, allowing the Jets to rush for 182 yards and the Seahawks for 117, giving up several big gains on the ground.

Kenneth Walker’s 19-yard touchdown on third-and-goal in the fourth quarter was another instance of this flaw. Now, before the regular season, the Steelers made headlines by adding Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey to the roster. Yet, their presence didn’t make much difference. Two other key additions by the Steelers this season were Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson. While they had opportunities to impact the game and did with attacking the run game early and recording a sack, respectively, it didn’t help the team much.

The offense struggled as well. As per Gerry Dulac, the Steelers have allowed a running back to rush for over 100 yards in each of the first two games. This never happened before in Tomlin’s coaching career. But TJ Watt offered a different opinion, claiming that the Steelers shouldn’t have failed after their solid defensive schemes.

“We’re way too talented, and we have way too good of schemes, to allow this to continue to happen week after week,” Watt said. Whether good or bad, the strategies clearly did not work. When probed more about the issues, he said, “I don’t know, man, we’re going to have to look at it and break it down. Clearly, it’s the same issues rearing their head from last week. In the NFL, you don’t have time to go back after each and every game and make the adjustments. You need to make the adjustments before they happen.“

This was perhaps enough to stir the Steelers and convince them to make changes before it’s too late.

Aaron Rodgers’ Steelers made big moves after a loss to the Seattle Seahawks

After the loss, the team looked at its practice squad. The Steelers released wide receiver Rakim Jarrett and tight end JJ Galbreath. And this made space for the team to make a move that could bolster their defensive depth. As reported by Adam Schefter, the Steelers will be bringing in former Patriots linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley.

Drafted by the Patriots in 2018, Bentley started 68 games across his 6-year career in the league. During this time, he racked up 509 combined tackles, two interceptions, 21 tackles for loss, and 10.5 sacks. Bentley had an impressive three straight 100-plus tackle seasons from 2021-23. Unfortunately, his 2024 campaign was cut short after just two games due to a pectoral tear.

His arrival in the Steelers will also reunite him with ex-Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers. Now, this will give a solid duo to bring veteran leadership to their defensive unit. Moreover, the team also reportedly added Isaiah Hodgins, giving them some extra fire on offense. Will these changes be enough for the Steelers? Or will they repeat the same mistakes against the Patriots? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.