Hold up.
Slow it down just a little bit.
Now, I will grant you this much: The Steelers' defense has to do better than it did this past Sunday in one category. They cannot continue to allow teams to convert to the tune of 10-for-14 on third down as Philly did at Heinz Field a few days ago.
No way, no how.
That must stop. And it must grind to a halt in quick form.
Other than that, I'm sensing a deep overreaction from a lot of fans not just riding this "the Steelers' defense is playing poorly" train, but climbing into the engineer seat and yanking that throttle down full bore.
Would you relax for a moment.
Get a grip.
Focus.
Hear me out.
Or, better yet, take a gander at some of the numbers …
As I sit here just after noon on Tuesday with Mike Tomlin finishing up his gab session, I present you some cold, hard truths.
The Steelers' defense is third in the NFL in yards yielded per game at 301.5.
They are second in the league in rushing yards given up per game at 64.
Tomlin's bunch is fourth in the NFL in opponent yards per play and the black and gold is sixth in points allowed per game at 21.8.
Want some more?
Get this: They are first in both sack percentage at 12.27 and sacks per game at 5.
Still think they are bad?
I'll offer this one as well, and this might blow your mind: The Steelers have a 4-0 record.
Crazy, huh?
As with much that happens when the games meet the rabid sports fan (especially here in Pittsburgh) we look for something to complain about. We must have something to nitpick and grumble for grumbling sake. It feels like the defense --- again, of an undefeated team --- is the object of over-reactive ire right now around town.
I think it also needs to be pointed out that holding calls are way, way, way down in the league to this point this season. It feels as if there is a concerted effort to only call the obvious and flagrantly noticeable.
I don't know about you, but I have seen both Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt a few times get detained outside the confines of what the rules were last season and no flag fly.
To me, I'm OK with that as long as it is called consistently --- and numbers bear that it has been.
To this point in the season scoring is way up across the board. As an illustration, seven teams are averaging at least 30 points and 13 are scoring, on average, 27 or more.
Simply put, points are plentiful.
So the next time you want to holler or feel like you are breaking some news clamoring about the Steelers' defense performing below the line, take a deep inhale.
Get a grip.
Maybe they are a bit, but probably not as much as you think they are.
Perhaps it is just that scoring everywhere is on the rise and, I know it sounds crazy, but they can't rank No. 1 in every defensive category.
They just rank in the Top 10 in a bunch of important ones.
That good enough?
