The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most iconic franchises in all of sports. They have the most Super Bowl championships in NFL history with six and some of the greatest players ever to play the game have worn the black and yellow and have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. For years, they’ve been known to always have an overpowering defense and a consistent running game. Nowadays, that seems to be nonexistent and right now, the Steelers are struggling. So, here’s the million dollar question: What exactly is wrong with the Steelers?
Well first, they don’t play defense and you see just how much they truly miss the presence of Ryan Shazier in the middle of their front seven. A middle linebacker is the quarterback of the defense and he was definitely that for their defense. He’s their best when it comes to stopping the run and you’ve seen the Steelers struggle to defend the run since his unfortunate injury. Nobody fears the Steelers defense anymore and I look how the Jaguars scored 45 on them in the playoffs back in January and how the Chiefs scored 42 on them in their loss on Sunday. They’re playing sloppy football and they’re missing tackles, giving up big plays and they’re struggling to get off the field. When I look at their offense, they can score, but they don’t look as strong as they have and that’s because they miss the services of one Le’Veon Bell. For years, I’ve always said that Antonio Brown is their best player, but Le’Veon is their most important and in their first two games, you’re seeing just that. He brings balance, you can use him in the passing game and he blocks for Ben Roethlisberger and you aren’t going to win games with just Ben and his arm, you need balance and he’s an older guy now who’s body has undergone many beatings over the years and you aren’t going to be winning throwing the ball 60 times a game.
I also think Mike Tomlin has lost the locker room. He has no control over the team anymore which is crazy to say because he’s been considered one of the best head coaches in the NFL for many years now. The Steelers wouldn’t be in this situation if they had just decided to pay Le’Veon and now, they’re paying for it.
