Mike Tomlin‘s Steelers roster is far from the team that fans were expecting this season. The fleeting hope after the Jets win evaporated in a brutal collapse against the Seahawks, where Pittsburgh was outplayed in every phase except kicking and punting. And watching it all? Big Ben, who wasn’t impressed at all.

Yes, Ben Roethlisberger called out Mike Tomlin’s Steelers roster and questioned how a defense that was supposed to be rebuilt could be getting gashed. “Man, they gave up almost 400 yards… two weeks in a row….It tells me that other teams are doing whatever they want….I saw a Seattle team that was better than Pittsburgh…I thought offensively and defensively, they looked like the better team.”

And as fiercely loyal as Steelers Nation is, even they have to nod along with what the legend said. The Jets got outplayed in almost every segment of this game. Rewatch the tapes, and you’d notice: the Jets win masked the cracks in Mike Tomlin’s Steelers’ structure. And if the eye test doesn’t tell you, the numbers might.

Jets outgained Pittsburgh 394–271 in Week 1, and just a week later, the Seahawks rolled up 395 yards, handing a crushing loss to Mike Tomlin’s team at their home. That defensive inconsistency might sneak a win against weaker teams, but this roster is supposed to be built for the playoffs — and right now, it isn’t showing it.

The roster backdrop matters. Mike Tomlin’s Steelers shook things up in the offseason, bringing in Aaron Rodgers on a one-year deal, hoping to solve the QB crisis. Pittsburgh also revamped the back end and added key pieces in major trades, including the Jalen Ramsey/Jonnu Smith swap, to reinforce the secondary and tight end room. And they doubled down on their identity by locking up TJ Watt with a massive check.

It’s rather strange to pull off this display after revamping so heavily over the summer. There were way too many cracks. Mike Tomlin’s Steelers’ run defense has been exposed early. They gave up 182 yards on the ground to the Jets in Week 1, then Kenneth Walker III broke the century mark (105-yard game) against them in Week 2. Back-to-back 100-yard rushes against the Steel City are very concerning.

After two games, Pittsburgh’s defense is giving up 31.5 points per game. They are 30th in rushing (62.5 yards per game) and only converting 36% on third down.  The offense hasn’t done the defense any favors, either. Aaron Rodgers was sacked four times in Week 1 and three more in Week 2 — seven sacks in just two games — making it nearly impossible to sustain drives or flip field position. But amidst all of these issues, the biggest talking point in Mike Tomlin’s team has been TJ Watt. And Big Ben couldn’t shy away from that topic either.

Big Ben jumps in to defend Mike Tomlin’s TJ Watt

Sure, fans have been quick to pin the blame on TJ Watt — and given his $123 million extension, the expectations are sky-high. But judging him solely by the stat sheet misses the point, and Big Ben wasn’t shy about making that clear. “People are talking about where’s TJ? Where’s this high-paid stud defensive guy?….They just wanna look at the stat sheet,” he said. 4 tackles and two solo. That’s it. Sure, his stats haven’t been eye-popping. However, the story behind that goes far beyond his raw ability.

“But you know what I see? I see a football team that is running the ball efficiently, so they don’t have to pass, which is when you’re a rush guy that gets sacks. If they’re not throwing the ball, you’re not getting the opportunities,” he said. Exactly! It doesn’t look like he’ll be pulling off double-digit sack numbers this season. But that isn’t a TJ problem. You can’t expect him to get sacks when he’s not getting an opportunity to do so.

One clear factor? Watt is getting doubled — and sometimes even tripled — whenever he rushes the passer. A tight end might chip his shoulder, or a guard slides over to lend an extra hand. It’s part of the price of being one of the league’s most feared pass rushers. But there’s a reason why Mike Tomlin and the Steelers made him the highest-paid non-QB ever (before the Parsons’ deal).

Sure, he’s in a slump, and the Steelers’ running game isn’t really helping him. But he’ll figure it out as the season progresses. It’s not the first time he’s had a slow start to the season. And when he figures it out, hopefully Mike Tomlin and his Steelers follow suit.