Uncovering the Shocking Weakness Behind the Steelers’ Once-Dominant Defense

Look, if you’d told me the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense would be serving up season-high passing yards to not one, not two, but four different quarterbacks in a row, I’d have said you were pullin’ my leg. The “Steel Curtain” was supposed to be, well, just that—a wall. Yet here we are in 2025, watching Carson Wentz, Dillon Gabriel, Joe Flacco, and Jordan Love just stroll through with passing performances that sound more like video game stats than NFL reality. And don’t get me started on the hopeful addition of Jalen Ramsey, who seems more like a fallible shadow of his former self lately. Mike Tomlin’s been the maestro of defense for years, but this? This is a full-on nightmare for the Steel City faithful. So what gives? Can the Steelers regroup before the trade deadline, or are we staring down another season where the defense looks more like a revolving door than a fortress? Grab your popcorn—this one’s gonna be one heck of a defensive curveball.

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 26: Christian Watson #9 of the Green Bay Packers catches a pass between Brandin Echols #26 and Juan Thornhill #22 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter in the game at Acrisure Stadium on October 26, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. — (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

The Pittsburgh Steelers used to take pride in their defense.

Head coach Mike Tomlin has always been able to contain opposing offenses.

That’s why it’s so rare to see them struggle on that side of the ball.

As shown by Underdog NFL, they’ve allowed season-high passing yards to four consecutive quarterbacks.

Carson Wentz threw for 350 yards for the Minnesota Vikings, Dillon Gabriel had 221 passing yards for the Cleveland Browns, Joe Flacco had 342 passing yards for the Cleveland Browns, and Jordan Love just posted 360 passing yards for the Green Bay Packers in Week 8.

Steelers defense has allowed season high passing yards to 4 consecutive QBs:

Love 29/360/3 (so far)
Flacco 31/342/3
Gabriel 29/221/0
Wentz 30/350/2

— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) October 27, 2025

Adding cornerback Jalen Ramsey hasn’t done much to fix their woes in the secondary.

The veteran has lost a step, and he’s been on the wrong end of some big gains this season.

They’ve also struggled to put pressure on the quarterback, despite having T.J. Watt still playing at a high level.

It’s early in the season, and Tomlin has certainly shown he’s capable of solving this.

The Steelers could make a couple of moves to shore up the defense before the upcoming NFL trade deadline.

But if that’s not the case, they again might not have much of a chance if they do make the playoffs.

As well as quarterback Aaron Rodgers is playing, chances are that they’re not going to win shootouts if their defense can’t even get a stop against lesser opponents.

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