Cameron Heyward Blasts 1 Aspect of Steelers Defense After Bengals Defeat
The Pittsburgh Steelers secondary had a terrible night against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday. But that’s not what the Steelers defensive captain pointed to when placing blame for the 33-31 loss.
Instead, Heyward somewhat defended the Pittsburgh secondary. The 36-year-old was highly critical of the team’s defensive front, particularly the defensive line, for allowing the Bengals to rush for a season-high 142 yards.
“It’s not the secondary. That’s a cop-out,” Heyward said, via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “I think the front line, we got to control the line of scrimmage a lot better. I’m pissed off. We didn’t take care of our job.”
“They were last in rushing, and the way we gave it up today, that takes the cake.
The Steelers have now allowed at least 115 rushing yards in four of six games this season.
“We got to stop the [expletive] run,” Heyward added. “That’s as simple as that.”
The Bengals didn’t have more than 85 rushing yards in any game this season before Thursday. They eclipsed that mark in the first half versus the Steelers front.
Other Steelers Share Cameron Heyward’s Feelings on Run Defense
All the rushing statistics indicated the Bengals had a poor running game in the first six weeks. But Cincinnati came alive on the ground in Week 7.
While quarterback Joe Flacco is getting all the headlines, and rightfully so, the Steelers are pointing to their issues in run defense as the main defensive problem from Thursday.
“We just weren’t doing what we’ve been doing,” Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen said, via Pryor. “We weren’t being physical, we weren’t maintaining our gap. Everybody just got a job, and they just got to stick to that job.
“Starting with me, I got to be better. I had two chances to make a play, didn’t make the plays, and it turned into a big run, so I just got to get better. It’s that simple.”
Bengals running back Chase Brown only had 11 carries. But he rushed for 108 yards, posting 9.8 yards per attempt.
A large portion of those yards came in the first quarters.
“The first half, we allowed them to run the ball too much,” Tomlin told reporters in his postgame press conference. “I think they had about 100 yards rushing at the half, and then, we turned the ball over a couple times.
“So, that just set a negative trajectory, and we’re fighting uphill the rest of the way.”
Steelers Run Defense Takes Significant Step Back
The Pittsburgh defensive line struggled against the run in early September. In their defense, the Steelers faced a couple very athletic running quarterbacks, including Justin Fields, who tore up the Pittsburgh front.
Over the past two weeks, the Steelers did a much better job stopping the run. They yielded an average of 67.5 rushing yards per game in the prior two contests.
But one has to wonder if the Steelers run defense is actually getting better after the poor showing Thursday. Pittsburgh has now allowed about 116 rushing yards per game this season.
If they can’t stop the run, Heyward and company won’t be able to rush the passer, which is what the Steelers defensive line does best.
The Steelers will face a much more difficult run offense in Week 8. The Green Bay Packers enter this weekend ranked 12th in rushing yards and fifth in rushing touchdowns.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Drops Eye-Opening Maxx Crosby Statement
The Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs are reigniting their rivalry in Week 7. While the Chiefs have dominated the rivalry, the personal rivalry between defensive end Maxx Crosby and quarterback Patrick Mahomes has gotten intense at times.
While the two are friendly away from the field, they have been known to get very competitive with each other. Mahomes has spoken very highly of Crosby in the past and had more praise for the star pass rusher ahead of the Week 7 matchup.
“A ton of respect,” Mahomes said of Crosby, via Raiders.com. “When I talk to him outside of football, it’s like we’re friends. You wouldn’t even see what happens on the football field. But he’s the type of competitor like me. When you get on that football field, it’s whatever it takes to win and you’re going to leave everything on the football field. I have a ton of respect for that.”
Chiefs Coaching Staff Talks Crosby
The Raiders aren’t as talented a team as the Chiefs, but they’ve played them competitively the last couple of years. Crosby is the type of player who can take over a game on the defensive side of the ball. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is prepared for Crosby.
“Maxx is a heck of a competitor, and he’s 100 miles an hour every play. I’m sure he’s that way in practice. He just goes and goes,” Reid said.
Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy also praised Crosby.
“He goes 100 percent of the time all the time and its relentless,” Nagy said. “He’s a game changer. He can affect the game. Just a ton of respect and you’ve got to know where he’s at on every play.”
Mahomes Discusses Raiders Rivalry
The Chiefs-Raiders rivalry is one of the most historic in the NFL. The two franchises have hated each other for decades.
The Chiefs have dominated the rivalry for a long time, but they know that the Raiders won’t go down without a fight.
“I always say it doesn’t matter if you’re doing good, they’re doing good, both doing good, both doing bad, this game – it means more to everybody,” Mahomes said. “Everybody that’s playing in the game, both sides of the football. You have to have that mentality. It’s a true rivalry game. You don’t have a lot of those in the NFL and I’m blessed to be a part of it because it really does bring out the best in both teams.”
Cornerback Trent McDuffie knows the Raiders are going to give it their all.
“No matter who’s playing on that field, they’re gonna play four quarters,” McDuffie said. “I have a [great] deal of respect for them and how they’re coached and how they play this game. I mean, we’ve seen around the league, you can’t really sleep on anybody.”
The Raiders need a win in this spot ahead of their bye week, so they’re going to have a lot of motivation to pull off the upset. If they can, they’ll be right back in the mix in the AFC West.
