Pittsburgh Steelers Defense Still a Work-in-Progress in Preseason Week 2 Loss

From the brief glimpse we saw of the key Pittsburgh Steelers offensive starters in Friday night's preseason 23-21 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, it's clear that side of the ball is able to pick up where it left off in 2014. The defense, though, looked very much like a work-in-progress.

In the first half, when the Steelers' active defensive starters were primarily on the field, the defense allowed 206 total Jaguars yards. While stout against the run as a whole, allowing just 47 run yards on 13 carries, for a 3.6 yards-per-carry average, there were sloppy tackling attempts that resulted in numerous Jaguars runs chewing up far too much yardage for comfort.

The Steelers defense gave up six runs of four or more yards—two four-yard runs, two five-yard runs and a 10-yard run by Jacksonville's one-two punch of Denard Robinson and Toby Gerhart, plus another six-yard gain by third-stringer Bernard Pierce.

Team	1st Half Yds.	1st Half Rush Yds.	1st Half YPR	1st Half Pass Yds.	Total Yds.	Total Rush Yds.	Total YPR	Total Pass Yds.
PIT	160	58	4.8	102	320	75	3.8	245
JAX	206	47	3.6	159	325	84	3.1	241

But most notable were the struggles of the Steelers pass defense, both in its ability to create pressure on the quarterback up front as well as consistently win in coverage against Jacksonville's receivers. In the first half alone, the Jaguars were able to rack up 159 passing yards and 241 passing yards in total once the game had ended.

That's not unexpected. Clearly, there were going to be some bumps in the road as the Steelers install a similar-yet-new defense coordinated by Keith Butler and rely on younger players to take on full-time starting roles.

But far too often, Jaguars quarterbacks Blake Bortles and Chad Henne had ample time to throw, even when the Steelers brought pressure, including blitzes. First-half receptions allowed included a 31-yard touchdown grab by Clay Harbor, a 19-yard screen pass to Gerhart, a 10-yard screen pass to Pierce that led to a fourth-down touchdown run by Bortles and a 15-yard catch by Allen Robinson that converted a 3rd-and-long.

Stephen B. Morton/Associated Press/Associated Press

Part of the problem is the Steelers' switch to a Cover 2 coverage scheme, which requires the team's two safeties to each man a half of the deep field, while the cornerbacks and coverage linebackers can handle shorter passes and underneath routes. This, though, requires safeties to be both fast and athletic and the three who spent time with the first team on Friday—Shamarko Thomas, Will Allen and Alden Darby—didn't seem up to the task.

Granted, it's early. This is the Steelers' second preseason game and Thomas' free safety counterpart, Mike Mitchell, did not dress for the game. And, it was not long until the Steelers pulled their starting cornerbacks in favor of the likes of B.W. Webb. But it's obvious that the Steelers secondary, in particular, needs more practice at mastering this new scheme.

Thomas, in particular, appeared to have a rough night. Steelers Depot's Alex Kozora noted that Thomas had struggles getting deep enough, which, as Bleacher Report's Chris Gazze added, led to Webb in particular being overmatched without assistance.

With additional practice—and also three more preseason games—these coverage issues can be ironed out. And it's worth noting that their struggles to run the Cover 2 were more pronounced when non-starters were on the field. The Steelers also were without the services of linebacker Lawrence Timmons, who is a major asset in coverage, as well as the aforementioned Mitchell. 

But the Steelers are coming off a season in which they ranked 27th against the pass. Any scheme changes that serve to enhance their weaknesses will only result in similar production this year. The Steelers need to make sure their players are given opportunities that play to their strengths.

Plus, the pass rush didn't drive home often enough. The only sack the Steelers managed in the contest came in the first quarter, earned by linebacker James Harrison. Meanwhile, fellow linebacker Jarvis Jones continued to look less athletic than the Steelers need him to be, and speed is something that cannot be taught.

There were bright spots to be found in Pittsburgh's defense, though. One was inside linebacker Ryan Shazier, who played far longer than anticipated and ended the night with a team-high eight solo tackles.

Another was cornerback William Gay, who showed great instincts getting to the football both in coverage and against the run. Harrison's strip-sack was impressive as well, particularly because he didn't look a single bit like the 37-year old he is.

Luckily, it is still mid-August, giving the Steelers ample time to tweak their formula. And as the preseason rolls on and the starters get more playing time, we'll be better equipped to actually evaluate the first-team defense for more than a series or two. It may not be as raw as it currently seems.

But as far as Friday night was concerned, the Steelers defense—particularly when it comes to defending the pass—looks like it needs more work.