The Pittsburgh Steelers are scrambling for answers for how awful their defense has been in 2025. It got exposed in front of a national audience as they lost 35-25 on Sunday Night Football. In seven games, Pittsburgh has given up at least 31 points four times. They are approaching Cincinnati Bengals levels of how hard the offense has to carry this team. It is a complete disaster, and nobody on the team seems to know why, even though the answer might be staring the team brass right in the face.
Joe Sargent / Getty Images
Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan talk on the sidelines together.
While making an appearance on the Randy Baumann and the DVE Morning Show, Gerry Dulac explained one piece of the puzzle that has to produce for the Steelers to thrive.
"[TJ Watt]'s been non-impactful," Dulac said bluntly. "Let's face it, he is the linchpin of the defense. He's the guy that makes it go, whether with sacks or forcing fumbles: big plays at big times, and we haven't seen that from him. They're paying the guy a lot of money to do that, and it hasn't been happening."
TJ Watt needs no introduction, as he holds the record for most sacks in a single season in NFL history. He has been an absolute menace for years, but that run of dominance seems to finally be coming to a close. He did not play well at all in the back half of 2024, and his outlook in 2025 does not look very promising either. It shows with the defensive performance overall.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' TJ Watt lines up across from the Browns during a Week 14 matchup in 2024.
In the past, games were dictated by if he was healthy or not. If he was on the field, the Steelers had a chance; if not, the game seemed to be over by halftime. However, he recently turned 31 years old and is not seemingly the same generational talent he was. The problem is that because he is that linchpin, Pittsburgh is heavily relying on him to play at a generational level, or else they falter entirely.
That's how it has been for the Steelers for many years now. The difference was Watt was unstoppable in years past, so Head Coach Mike Tomlin could make it work with his overarching defensive gameplan. Now that the star edge rusher has been "non-impactful" for almost a full calendar year, his coach's problematic defense keeps getting exposed with every passing week.
There have been three games in 2025 where Watt has been impactful. In those games, he has 3.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, seven quarterback hits, three passes defended, and three plays resulting in takeaways. The Steelers are 3-0 in those games and have allowed just under 15 points per game. When he is on, there is no stopping this runaway train.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
TJ Watt celebrates a sack vs Drake Maye and the New England Patriots
However, Watt has had four games where has done almost nothing. In those games, he has 0.5 sacks, two tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, and a pass defended. In those games, they have given up 31+ points and have a 1-3 record. The difference between playing great and playing horribly mostly comes down to the 31-year-old. That is a recipe for disaster.
Steelers' Issues Could Result In Much-Needed Changes Down The Road
If this trend continues, the Steelers could easily end up with a losing record. However, that may be exactly what is needed. The way Tomlin and co. have done things in previous years hasn't worked in the long run, but Watt's freakish ability helped to cover them up and convince them that they were closer to winning than they were. A horrible season could be exactly what Tomlin needs to see the true problems of the team and fix them.
What do you think about Watt being the "linchpin" of the defense, as well as how bad it has been when he's limited? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
#SteelerNation
