In their last two games, they have allowed 54 points and have been picked apart in all facets. Against the Philadelphia Eagles, A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith each had over 100 yards and the Eagles held the ball for over 40 minutes, including the last 10 minutes and change in the fourth quarter. Against Baltimore, Derrick Henry ran for over 160 yards as Baltimore dominated the Steelers up front. On top of that, the Steelers have allowed 19 touchdowns on their opponents last 28 trips. And while the offense has had its own struggles, the highest-paid defense in the NFL isn't living up to its price tag. That falls on head coach Mike Tomlin, but also defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.
Yes, the Steelers were missing multiple players, including DeShon Elliott. Donte Jackson, and Joey Porter. However, that's not an excuse as to why Henry had seven explosive runs or why the Steelers constantly miss tackles. And plus, if you are down starters on the back end, why aren't you helping them out by blitzing and sending more than four pass rushers at the quarterback? If we're going to praise the development of young players when they play well and give coaches credit for it, we also have to hammer them whenever depth players don't show up to play and have constant communication issues.
On top of that, Austin is just flat out underwhelming as a coach. Remember when Pittsburgh had Brian Flores on their staff and let him walk? It would sure be nice to have him running the defense right about now and getting a lot out of non-household names the way he currently is in Minnesota.
Since Week 12, the Steelers are 19th in defensive EPA per play, and now they have the Chiefs and Bengals on deck to close out their schedule. And while I fully expect them to win at least one of those games, they won't win a playoff game if their defense continues to be as ineffective as it is right now. And if that's the case, the Steelers should move on from Austin. That doesn't mean they need to go out and bring in an external hire. While I would prefer if they did most times like they did this past spring to nearly their entire offensive staff, linebackers coach Aaron Curry is a name that may get offers elsewhere. Keeping him in house by promoting him would be a smart move. Regardless, Austin's underwhelming and often too conservative approach is stale and Pittsburgh would benefit from a change.