Steelers’ Run Defense Struggles Tied to T.J. Watt — But Not How You Think
Two weeks into the 2025-26 campaign, the Pittsburgh Steelers are still sorting out who they are as a team. That lack of identity is surprising to some, especially considering their reliable defense has been anything but that so far.
As Week 3’s contest against the New England Patriots approaches, one prominent analyst dropped a graphic that adds even more drama to the equation. In a September 17 tweet, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky tied the struggles to all-world linebacker T.J. Watt.
Not in a bad way for Watt, though. He’s holding up his end of the bargain.
Steelers’ Run Defense Issues Related to T.J. Watt?
Orlovsky’s post reveals that on 13 rush attempts to Watt’s side of the field, Steelers opponents have averaged a measly 2.5 yards per carry. On 34 rushes away from Watt — a much larger sample size — that number rises to an even 6.0. Considering 96% of Watt’s 103 snaps are lined up left of the opposing center, that’s a problematic data set.
Watt has always been a stellar run-stuffer for his position. Through two weeks, his 90.5 Pro Football Focus run defense grade leads all designated edge players. He’s gone over the 90.0 mark two other times in his illustrious career, including last season. He’s the heart and soul of the defense, as evidenced by the lucrative contract extension he got this offseason.
Like many superstars, Watt isn’t going to sway from his pre-snap alignment often. Last year, he was almost exclusively on that left side. The same rang true in 2023 and for several years prior. For better or worse, he’s holding down the end of the defensive front and playing disciplined, high-quality run defense.
It’s the rest of Pittsburgh that needs to step up.
Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin Not Worried
Entering Week 3, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin’s unit ranks dead last in opposing rushing attempts, meaning they’ve faced the most. On those tries, the Steelers have surrendered the fifth-most yards. Week 1 saw New York Jets running back Breece Hall rack up 107 yards on 19 tries, then Week 2 featured Seattle Seahawks standout Kenneth Walker III amass 105 yards on just 13 carries.
Speaking to the media this week, Austin didn’t buy into the Watt-related correlation. He does, however, believe the run defense has to be better.
“No, I don’t have a reaction to it,” Austin said. “I think that’s sometimes some choice things. People run that way. They’ll run away from T.J. When you have stretch teams and teams that do that stuff, a lot of zone, you take a risk when you run at 90 because sometimes he’ll play it straight, sometimes he’ll come inside, and he’s able to give you some tackle for loss stuff that’s a little bit unpredictable.
“I think when you run the other way, they’re looking more not so much to run at head, but to cut back, to see if there’s a lane on the back side. We’ve just got to shore up our things. I don’t look at it as one side or the other. As I look at it, we’ve got to shore up our run defense period. It goes back to what I said earlier, we’ve just got to quit beating ourselves before the ball is ever snapped.”
With Sunday’s game on the horizon, Pittsburgh ranks 24th in EPA/rush allowed on defense per SumerSports. Luckily for them, the Patriots aren’t much better on offense (19th).
Micah Parsons issues strong response to Rasheed Walker’s bold Packers talk
Micah Parsons and the Green Bay Packers are either the top team right now in the NFL after two weeks of action or one of the best. In the eyes of Green Bay offensive lineman Rasheed Walker, his team is so good, he could see the Packers going all the way and winning the Super Bowl without suffering a loss along the way.
“The goal is to keep it going,” Walker said this week. “I think we can go undefeated honestly. … Pound for pound, I look at these teams, and I don’t really see who’s better than us honestly. That’s why I can say that so confidently.”
Although the Packers have crushed it in the two games they have played thus far in the 2025 NFL regular season, the fact remains that they have indeed just saw action in only a couple of outings. The sample size is still small at this point, though, it’s hard to fault Walker for feeling such confidence in his team.
With a defense that got a major boost with the addition of Parsons and an offense that has incredible talent in the backfield and downfield, Green Bay has looked so powerful in their wins against the Detroit Lions and the Washington Commanders in Week 1 and Week 2, respectively.
Micah Parsons reacts to Walker’s undefeated claim
Speaking of Parsons, the four-time Pro Bowl had this to say about Walker’s take on the Packers’ potential to wreck every opponent the rest of the way:
“We should win every game,” said Parsons, who was traded to Green Bay by the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two future first-round picks (h/t Zach Kruse of Packers Wire).
“That’s the mindset you should have. That’s the mindset I want my left tackle to have. Pound for pound, he feels like he can compete with the best…you want your LT having that type of confidence.”
Only one team in the history of the NFL has ever gone undefeated for an entire season, and that was the 1972 Miami Dolphins. It’s a rare feat, to say the least.
In any case, Green Bay will look to keep its record clean when it faces the Cleveland Browns this Sunday on the road.
