The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t proven to be as ‘ready’ as head coach Mike Tomlin portrayed them to be ahead of the 2025 season. Even if we put the offense aside, the defensive woes that concluded 2024 with a five-game losing streak remain consistent. That’s the area Tomlin specialized in and what the legendary Jerome Bettis is concerned about. 

With his allegiance to Pittsburgh even after retirement, The Bus sat on the panel during the fan event ahead of the Steelers’ Week 4 clash with the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin. Commenting on the team’s 2-1 standing, he remarked, “The Steelers believe in being physical. That’s an area of concern right now. The Steelers haven’t been the Steelers of old.” 

That must’ve pinched Tomlin. Following the 21-14 win over the Patriots, he said, “We were somewhat limited with some of our schematics due to obvious circumstances,” admitting the plan was “really good.” 

His words might have stemmed from the fact that the defense forced five turnovers against New England. But c’mon, the offense isn’t something the Patriots are known for since Brady left them. Thus, Bettis’ words hold some reality. There was a time in the 2010s and early 2020s when the Steelers’ defense basically carried the whole team. These days, though, that foundation is shaky. 

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Communication breakdowns, missed tackles, and struggles to get off the field on third down have left the defense fighting to stay relevant. The fact that Week 3’s defensive showing was their best this season shows just how dire things are.  They began the season by giving up 32 points to the Jets and 31 to the Seahawks in Week 2. Clearly, the problems ran deep.

It’s not just one side of the ball—offensive struggles to run the ball and sustain drives have made things even tougher. There’s been almost no production on the ground so far this season. 

Jaylen Warren gave a glimmer of hope in Week 3, running for 33 yards on the opening drive. However, the rushing game has had barely any impact. 

Pittsburgh is still in search of its ground game

Mike Tomlin’s focus since the beginning of September has been on improving the run game, as it would take some of the pressure off Aaron Rodgers. However, from training camp through preseason, the Steelers never showed consistency in running the ball well. While discussing the subject, he acknowledged the impact defensive ineptitude has had on the run game. 

“We’re not getting off the field a lot, or frequently enough on defense. And I think it’s altering the time of possession, and oftentimes, that dictates how the game is played in some instances… there’s a trickle-down effect of that,” said Tomlin. 

The defense’s inconsistencies on third and fourth down are quite stark. The Patriots were smart enough to use to their advantage the best way possible. They converted nearly half of their third-down attempts (6-of-13) and most of their fourth downs (4-of-5). Pittsburgh hardly managed to prevent one fourth-down conversion late in the game. 

But that isn’t the main issue. No running back has yet managed to rush for even 50 yards in a single game, highlighting how much the ground attack is missing. Things might be even tougher for them as Warren has been listed on the Injured Reserve with a knee injury. This means his status for Week 4 is questionable.