Miscommunications Continue To Fail The Steelers Defense

The Pittsburgh Steelers had their best offensive game of the season in Week 5, as they defeated the Indianapolis Colts by a final score of 34-22. While the defense wasn’t amazing, they still came up clutch when they needed to with multiple big stops in the red zone to hold Indianapolis to field goals, outside of one drive in the second quarter. There are plenty of things that need to be worked on, but if Pittsburgh can keep up with the positives, it could make some noise in the stretch run. 

Many fans feel like the secondary is still concerning. The coaching staff itself might not completely trust the cornerbacks considering how much they keep playing soft zone. That style of play has allowed quarterbacks to take advantage of the easy completions to pick up chunk plays and move down the field over the past three weeks. Even if both Asante Samuel Jr. and Daylen Everette were not supposed to play much, this is the group that the Steelers have to roll with for now.

There may be a big reason not to trust the cornerbacks yet. While making an appearance on The North Shore Drive Podcast insider Ray Fittipaldo revealed what he was told by safety Jaquan Brisker after the game.

"Jaquan Brisker said that there was a miscommunication on that 42-yarder to Josh Downs, where Brisker was trailing in coverage," Fittipaldo said. "It didn't sound like that was Brisker's fault, but there was a miscommunication there, and Brisker says he still should've made that play. The way he was talking about it, it seemed like somebody else was supposed to be deeper in that zone."

Steeler Nation heard this story a lot early on in the 2025 season, and it's starting to creep back in. This is the second consecutive week where it became publicly known that there was a miscommunication on defense. It's not time to panic yet, but if it happens in Week 6 and maybe Week 7 as well, it will be fair to start questioning what's going on with this unit on that front. That needs to get nipped in the bud immediately. 

That miscommunication sparked the Colts' only touchdown drive of the game, as it put them on Pittsburgh's 34-yard line. From there, a quick catch-and-run set Indianapolis up at the two-yard line, where it was able to eventually punch it in on a fullback dive with Tyler Warren. Who knows if that would have happened without the breakdown in coverage that allowed that deep ball to Josh Downs in the first place. 

Either way, these kinds of communication errors can't keep happening. If the cornerbacks can't figure out the play, then Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham will be forced to continue calling these basic soft zone schemes while hoping that the pass rush can force some big plays. That would just lead to the team trying to acquire a new starting corner at the trade deadline.

Steelers' Next Opponent Has Proven To Be Able To Take What Is Given To It

Despite the fact that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are starting an undrafted free agent rookie at quarterback, he has not actually looked bad. On Thursday Night Football in Week 5, Jalon Daniels made a lot of easy completions, especially in the second half, which included a wide open 64-yard pass to set up a touchdown. He carved up the Dallas Cowboys' soft defense en route to a 24-16 victory.

The Steelers can't take Daniels and the Buccaneers lightly, or they will get embarrassed like the Cowboys did. If these miscommunication problems keep up, the undrafted rookie will be able to take advantage. It doesn't matter how uninspiring Tampa Bay has looked through five weeks; it can and will tear up any team that allows them to.

What do you think about Brisker admitting that there was another miscommunication in Week 5? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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