The Pittsburgh Steelers were thriving on takeaways, forcing six turnovers in the Week 9 game alone. Despite ranking near the bottom of the league in total yards gained and allowed, the Steelers stayed atop the AFC North thanks to their favorable turnover differential. But against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night, their turnover tally came to an abrupt halt. And in the post-game conference, when reporters asked linebacker T.J. Watt about the team’s consistency, his frustration was palpable.

“Inconsistent as it could be,” T.J. Watt admitted. “Too much up and down, not enough Steeler football. I mean, we can’t continue to live and die by the turnovers as a defense. We need to get off the field. We need to stop the run. Critical third downs… we need to do a better job of it, and no excuse for it. Need to play better.”

T.J. Watt is right – the Steelers’ defensive unit has been a roller coaster this season. At times, the unit looked dominant. Other times, the unit can’t seem to stop anything. For example, the Steelers just failed to force a single turnover and suffered a disappointing 25-10 loss to the Chargers. So, consistency has been their biggest enemy. Nevertheless, Watt explained that the defense did everything it could to create takeaways against the Chargers, but they just weren’t able to get the ball out. 

“We feel like we have the opportunity to get a turnover in every play, and we’re punching at the ball. We’re doing everything we possibly can, but we just weren’t able to get the ball out. But on those days you’re not able to get the ball, you need to blow up on those big-time third-down situations, and then get off the field. And we weren’t able to do that.”

T.J. Watt summed up the story of Pittsburgh’s defense this season. They’ve dominated in games like in Week 3 when they forced 5 turnovers in their 21-14 win against the New England Patriots. But when those big plays don’t come, cracks start to show. It raises the question of whether this defense could make it work without relying on turnovers. 

Is the Steelers’ defensive collapse a major concern for Mike Tomlin?

Surprisingly, Sunday’s performance wasn’t entirely bad for the Steelers’ defensive unit. For three quarters, they kept things manageable, holding the Chargers to just 15 points – and two of those came from a safety. But the real collapse that should concern head coach Mike Tomlin came on key third downs, where Pittsburgh simply couldn’t get off the field.

Post-game, Mike Tomlin summed up the team’s performance: “We stunk it up tonight.”

And he wasn’t just talking about Pittsburgh’s defense. The Steelers’ offense also struggled badly, managing only 221 total yards. Meanwhile, the Chargers’ defense dominated, forcing three turnovers and holding QB Aaron Rodgers to a 50.6 passer rating. Until their final drive, Pittsburgh’s only points came from a 59-yard field goal. And Rodgers didn’t shy away from accountability either. 

“Our defense played really well tonight,” said Aaron Rodgers post-game. “Offensively, we were pretty bad. So, we’ve got to find a way to get open on third down. I’ve got to find a way to hit ‘em, because that was just some bad ball.”

It’s hard to argue with that. Aaron Rodgers clearly missed reliable help at wide receiver, and with no major additions at the trade deadline, Mike Tomlin had to rely on the players he already had. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.

Still, Rodgers reminded reporters, “We’re 5-4, we’re leading the division.”

So, the Steelers are still in control of their destiny this season. But they can’t afford many more games like this.