Steelers Fans May Be Very Frustrated With What They See From The Defense In Week 10

The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading into what may be their biggest game of the season against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football. Neither team made any trade moves at the trade deadline, so now they have what they have. Even though it's November, this game could decide the AFC North. Pittsburgh is coming off a bye week, and the Bengals just played in Madrid, so it's anyone's guess who will emerge victorious. 

It's always a big game when the Steelers face off against Joe Burrow and the Bengals' high-powered offense. Pittsburgh fans have been robbed of some classics due to injuries to the star quarterback, but when they play, it's always a nail-biter. The Steelers' plan to defeat Burrow isn't the prettiest defensively, but they're 4-4 against the signal-caller. 

In their most recent matchup, the Bengals scored 27 points, but the Steelers won anyway. Pittsburgh elected to sit back and avoid giving up big plays, and they did, with the longest offensive play of the game coming back to just 28 yards. Now, going into Sunday, it's likely to be their plan again. 

With the Steelers not adding to their secondary this past week, insider Mark Kaboly believes Steelers fans will be frustrated with what they see on defense come Sunday. After recently appearing on his show, Kaboly & Mack, he believes the Steelers will keep giving up dink-and-dunk plays and trying to force the Bengals into long drives without making a mistake. 

"Steeler fans are gonna be very frustrated with what they see on Sunday, but it still might work," Kaboly stated. "You're gonna see a lot of quick completions. You're gonna see a lot of try-to-catch and runs. You're gonna see a lot of Joe Burrow getting rid of the ball quickly and the pass rush not getting there. You're gonna see stats from (Alex) Highsmith, (Nick) Herbig, and (TJ) Watt that are non-existent, saying well, we're paying $100 million for these guys. But that's the best way to be able to beat this team."

The Bengals are one of the hardest offenses to game plan for. It's impossible to man up their wide receivers, and Burrow carves through zone coverage. With the Steelers' heavy zone scheme, Burrow dinks and dunks his way downfield, but they aren't giving up big plays, which may be more important. 

The frustrating part of Kaboly's point is the edge rushers being neutralized. The Bengals have usually been able to neutralize Pittsburgh's pass rush with quick throws, and they've already done so once this season. At the beginning of the season, General Manager Omar Khan's decision to pay all three, TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig, was called into question, and it may happen again after Sunday night.

No team in football has more money tied to edge rushers than the Steelers, and the group outside of Watt started the season off slow. They've been much better lately, but Cincinnati has been their kryptonite. Will they be able to affect the game on Sunday outside of run defense? 

Steelers Will Need To Tackle Well This Game

In their first meeting, one difference-maker was Pittsburgh's tackling. The Steelers' defense has tackled well for most of the season, and if they plan to give up short throws, they'd better be able to bring down the pass-catchers quickly for minimal gains. Ja'Marr Chase can go for 60 yards on any given play; neutralizing him is especially crucial. 

A big help is that the Steelers' linebackers have been playing much better in coverage and tackling. Payton Wilson and Patrick Queen have been a top-tier duo through the first eight games. It's essential that they continue this level in Cincinnati and control the middle of the field. 

What do you think? Will the Steelers switch things up on defense, or keep the game plan the same? Follow us for more news!

#SteelerNation