Steelers' Simple Defense Will Be Their Detriment In Week 13: "[Joe] Burrow Is Going To Fry You"

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the middle of their toughest stretch of games in the 2024 season as they play all of their divisional contests in a short span. This is very unusual for a team, as the Steelers didn't play their first game within the AFC North until Week 11. Pittsburgh is currently 1-1 in division play, and they will be taking on the Cincinnati Bengals for the first time in Week 13. The Steelers have the better record and the lead in the AFC North, but the Bengals are dangerous, despite them being just 4-7 on the year. 

Joe Burrow is playing like an MVP at the quarterback position, and Ja'Marr Chase has a serious chance to secure the triple crown at receiver as he leads the league in yards and touchdowns, and sits at second in receptions. This will be no easy game for the Steelers, and the outcome of this game will likely come down to how the defense is able to play against this highly potent offense. 

One of the ESPN's NFL analysts, Benjamin Solak, spoke about this matchup and how the Steelers must change their defensive strategy on Wednesday's episode of The Mina Kimes Show.

"So you, as Pittsburgh, if you come in, you say, we are going to run our stuff, do what we do with our pass rush and our press-man coverage and Minkah deep, Burrow is going to fry you," Solak said. " Like, you could put me and you at tackle, Burrow is going to fry. He's too smart, he's too quick getting rid of the football. They also do the multiple tight ends things. They got Khalil Herbert now, and like they will add guys to the protection. They'll find the time."

Pittsburgh's defense has struggled a bit against veteran quarterbacks during the 2024 season. They played poorly against Joe Flacco, Jameis Winston was able to beat them late in the game, and Dak Prescott had a decent amount of success in Pittsburgh as well. Burrow is better than all of those quarterbacks, and Solak explained what Pittsburgh must do in order to have a chance of stopping him.

"So you have to be willing to, and this has been the book on Joe for a while," Solak said. "Change the picture, right. And be able to drop guys off the line of scrimmage and play some two-high and play some zone. So this is a big Mike Tomlin, Teryl Austin game where, know your foe, right? You've been great at doing what you do well, but you can't line up this way going against Cincinnati."

The Steelers' defense has always seemed like it relies heavily on the players. The scheme has never been anything complex or crazy, and in 2024, the defense has consisted a lot of press man coverage with Minkah Fitzpatrick patrolling the middle of the field. Being predictable like this is not the way to play Burrow, so Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin must find a way to change things up.

Burrow processes a defense quickly and he gets the ball out fast, which means the pass rush won't have much time to get to the quarterback. The Bengals will certainly have some running backs and tight ends in place to help protect against TJ Watt, but if Pittsburgh's pass rush can't make Burrow's day hard, the defense is in for a rough outing. 

Steelers' Joey Porter Jr. Will Be A Huge Factor In Clash With The Bengals

Cincinnati has arguably the best receiver in the league in Chase, but they also have another high-end target in Tee Higgins. Joey Porter Jr. will be a huge factor in this game as he will likely be following Chase around the field, and if the second-year cornerback is able to hold his own against Chase, it should slow things down for the Bengals' offense. 

Porter will need to be careful with how physical he is, as he has had issues with committing penalties while in coverage.

What do you expect from the Steelers' defense while taking on the Bengals? Let us know in the comments below!

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