Mike Tomlin Issues Warning to Steelers Secondary After Collapse vs. Packers
The Pittsburgh Steelers made significant changes to their defense, especially the secondary, before the 2025 NFL season. Now about halfway through the campaign, more changes could be coming already.
The Steelers defense has performed poorly to begin this season. The unit looked better at first against the Green Bay Packers. But the wheels came off in the second half, as Green Bay recorded 214 passing yards after halftime.
Following the 35-25 defeat, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin received a question about what he will consider doing differently to improve the secondary next week. With his response, Tomlin stated anything is on the table.
“We just got to be better in all areas, and it starts first with the positions that we put players in,” Tomlin told reporters. “So it’s coaches. It’s players. It’s all of us. We own it. We’ll be better. We have to be.
“I’m open to doing whatever it is that we need to do schematically or from a personnel standpoint to improve this.”
Mike Tomlin’s Steelers Defense Falling Apart
Unlike in Week 7, the Steelers offense didn’t really play well enough to win either against the Packers. But based on social media reaction, a vast majority of the anger from Steelers Nation after Week 8 is focused on Tomlin, his defensive coaching staff and the defensive players.
The Steelers gave up more than 30 points for the fourth time Sunday. This season is the first time since 2003 the Steelers have yielded at least 30 points in four of their first seven games.
The team finished 6-10 in 2003 — the most recent losing season in the franchise’s history.
There appears to be a lot of issues with Tomlin’s defense. But the Steelers plan to fix their secondary with veterans Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey has largely backfired.
The Pittsburgh secondary looks old and slow. On Sunday night, Packers tight end Tucker Kraft ran for more yards after the catch than any tight end in the NFL since 2018.
What that means for the Steelers defense going forward, though, remains to be seen. Benching former All-Pros Slay and Ramsey would be a surprising move.
They also weren’t responsible for covering Kraft, who finished with a game-high seven catches, 143 receiving yards and two touchdowns Sunday.
Steelers Badly Underperforming Defense
No team has dedicated more salary cap space toward its defense this season than the Steelers. With that in mind, Tomlin’s defense is arguably the most disappointing unit in the entire league.
After Sunday, the Steelers are ranked 22nd in points allowed per game and 26th in total defense.
Against the pass, the Steelers are dead last, allowing 273.3 yards through the air per contest.
Following the Week 7 loss, Tomlin and his defensive players blamed the run defense for its poor showing at stopping the pass. The Steelers are ranked 18th in rushing yards allowed per game after facing the Packers.
The run defense could be better, and the lack of pass rush has significantly contributed to Pittsburgh’s poor results against the pass. But the Steelers secondary should receive a lot of blame after Week 8.
The question going forward, though, is what options Tomlin and his staff will consider to fix it.
Steelers Great James Harrison Needs To See Serious Changes In Pittsburgh After Loss: "People Gotta Go"
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been a major disappointment over the last two weeks of the 2025 NFL season. The team lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7 after giving up 33 points, and the group lost by 10 to the Green Bay Packers in Week 8 after giving up 35 points. The defense is nowhere near where it needs to be, and nothing seems to be changing as the poor performances continue to stack on top of one another. The group struggles to stop the run and the pass, which is something that was supposed to be the backbone of this team in 2025.
Head Coach Mike Tomlin and Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin have both been taking a lot of heat for the defensive output that has been seen over the last couple of weeks. The defense is near the bottom of the NFL in nearly every major statistical category, and the group is the clear weak link for the Steelers during the 2025 season.
Former Steelers linebacker James Harrison spoke about the Packers game on the Deebo & Joe podcast on Monday, and he had some harsh words for the defensive effort that he saw on the field on Sunday night.
"Things gotta get changed," Harrison said. "People gotta go. Highest paid, 30th ranked, don't match. I don't know what needs to happen, but we need to go on ahead and maybe redo this whole thing and get something else going. We done gave up 30-something in the last four, five, six games. That is not Steeler defense. That is not Steeler football. Nothing about that correlates to the Black and Gold."
Harrison was clearly disappointed and upset with what he saw on the field on Sunday night, as he comes from a team that took serious pride in its defensive efforts. That does not seem to be the case in Pittsburgh anymore as players have been seen giving up on tackles and completely abandoning their assignments. The defense is currently a laughing stock, and nothing seems to be changing anytime soon.
The former outside linebacker wants to see changes from the Steelers, but he didn't clarify anything specifically. Many fans want to see Austin and Tomlin get fired, but that is unlikely to happen. The players on the field are messing up so often that it is impossible for the coaches to escape without catching any blame, as this is a problem that has multiple levels to it. The schematics are a problem, the on-field communication seems to be an issue, and the effort is an issue. If that continues, the Steelers are going nowhere in 2025.
Steelers' Defense Needs To Have More Pride According To James Harrison
Harrison was at the game on Sunday night as he was a part of the pre-game festivities for the Steelers, so he got to see the issues up close and personal.
He is disgusted by the fact that the defense could be the highest-paid in the NFL and be ranked near the bottom, and he wants players to find the motivation to change that.
"What is happening?" Harrison asked. "Pittsburgh Steelers are built on defense. I don't know if I've ever seen the defense be this bad. We can't tackle nobody. We are freaking cooked. We're the 30th-ranked defense in the NFL. We're the highest-paid defense in the NFL. Those two things don't go together. Primetime. Sunday night. What the f**k are we doing? Make that name on your back mean something. Make them three stars on your chest mean something."
The former defender wants to see players playing for themselves and the organization, but all he sees right now is inconsistent levels of effort with clear issues with the defensive group. It has been an embarrassing couple of weeks of football for Pittsburgh, and that will probably continue as the Steelers take on the
