Analyst Seriously Doubts Steelers' Defensive Stars While Predicting Offensive Explosion By Seahawks In Week 2

The Pittsburgh Steelers came away with a tightly contested win over the New York Jets in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season. The game did not go as many fans expected as the defense was clearly the weak link in the matchup. Pittsburgh made important plays to win the game on special teams, and the offense was efficient and explosive throughout the contest. The defense could not get a stop, although the unit did show up at the end of the game when it mattered most. The unit showed some reasons to be concerned moving forward, however.

Many expected that the game against the Jets would be a low-scoring affair, but it was the complete opposite as Pittsburgh won the game by a score of 34-32. The defense allowed nearly 400 yards of total offense for the Jets, which is completely unacceptable for the highest-paid defensive unit in the league. Charles McDonald, an analyst for Yahoo! Sports, spoke recently on the Football 301 show about Pittsburgh's defense, and he rose some concerns about the stars for the Steelers.

"I think what was a little bit surprising for me with the Steelers' defense against the Jets was how soft they were up front," McDonald said. "They got mashed a lot of times. I thought Keeanu Benton did not have a good game. Cameron Heyward looked a little old. TJ Watt was chasing on the cheese on everything and letting Justin Fields get out the pocket. If you're that undisciplined, any offense can get you any week. I think this could be a big breakout game for the Seahawks on offense just because I think the Steelers' defense looks really slow."

McDonald believes Pittsburgh's Week 2 opponent, the Seattle Seahawks, may be able to put up a lot of points on the defense during the Steelers' home opener. He doubted the play he saw from Keeanu Benton and Cam Heyward, while he didn't quite agree with the strategy he saw TJ Watt implementing when it came to defending Justin Fields.

McDonald called Watt "undisciplined" in the way he defended Fields in certain situations, however that might not be the case. Pittsburgh's coaching staff could have been wanting Watt to crash on the running back in read option situations, which is something they tried to do during the playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens at the end of the 2024 season. It has proven not to be the best strategy for Pittsburgh, but it doesn't mean that Watt was doing anything wrong against New York. It just means it might be more of a coaching issue from Pittsburgh.

Another instance of Pittsburgh's questionable coaching is continuing to have Benton line up at nose tackle. He is proving to be not big or strong enough to play the position, and that is clear on film as he is consistently wiped out of run plays which disrupts the entire defensive front.

If Benton can play better, or Pittsburgh makes some proper adjustments, the defensive line as a whole has a chance to be really good. Until that time comes, it is likely going to be more of the same from the group.

Steelers' Defense Needs To Make A Statement In Week 2

Seattle struggled on offense in Week 1 as it could only score 13 points. The offense mustered up only 150 yards through the air and 84 yards on the ground, and the Steelers should be able to keep that cold streak going. If Pittsburgh allows another offensive explosion to Seattle, things are going to need to be reevaluated and shaken up on defense, and coaching staff changes may even be warranted.

What do you think of McDonald's remarks? Let us know in the comments below!

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