Mark Madden: Steelers defense is getting splash plays but has areas of concern

About a month ago, this space proclaimed that the current Steelers defense might be comparable to the team’s unit in 1976, regarded by some as the best in NFL history.

Uh…OK, maybe not.

Look on the bright side: The check for that particular magnum opus has long since cleared and now I can rebut myself, because the current defense is a very confusing mixed bag.

It’s still making splash plays: In Sunday’s 38-29 victory over visiting Philadelphia, the Steelers got two interceptions, five sacks, seven tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hits.

But other numbers are concerning, not least the aforementioned 29 points conceded.

The Eagles converted 10 of 14 third-down plays, including a third-and-17 and a third-and-12. Philadelphia running back Miles Sanders broke off a 74-yard touchdown. Besides that, the Eagles put together TD drives of 10 plays for 76 yards, seven plays for 75 yards and 10 plays for 80 yards. They went 3 for 3 in the red zone.

Philadelphia did all that with their top two wide receivers out, an injury-riddled offensive line and with tight end Zach Ertz, the presumed primary target, making one catch.

Second-year wideout Travis Fulgham, who entered the game with two career catches, had 10 catches for 152 yards and a touchdown.

Quarterback Carson Wentz entered Sunday having thrown a league-high seven interceptions (now up to nine) and the NFL’s worst passer rating.

The Steelers haven’t yet faced a truly good offensive unit, or even a truly decent team: Their opponents to date have just three wins between them.

The Steelers have yet to register a legitimately convincing victory, and were a missed field goal away from trailing with just 3 minutes, 18 seconds remaining Sunday.

Cleveland comes to Heinz Field this Sunday with a 4-1 record and an offense that averages 31.2 points per game.

The Browns won’t fear the Steelers’ defense. That’s dissipated.

The Steelers know it: After Philadelphia missed that late field goal, the Steelers didn’t merely try to kill clock on the ground. Their offense pressed to get (and got) another score. Coach Mike Tomlin didn’t trust the defense to hold a two-point lead if the Eagles got the ball back.

What’s gone wrong? It’s tough to say. Some numbers are good, others atrocious.

The Steelers got 38 takeaways last year. That was always going to be impossible to match. They have seven in four games, which is OK but still over half a takeaway per game less.

Takeaways are about bounces, not just making plays. The Steelers aren’t getting bounces like they did last season. Three of safety Minkah Fitzpatrick’s five interceptions in 2019 got tipped.

Fitzpatrick made first-team All-Pro last year, but is a lot quieter through four games. He’s established a no-fly zone, to some degree. That’s good. His tackling isn’t as sure. That’s bad. As noted, Fitzpatrick isn’t getting the same breaks and wasn’t Troy Polamalu in the first place. For whatever reason, Fitzpatrick isn’t around the ball as much.

Cornerback Joe Haden looks like he’s lost a half-step. At 31, that was inevitable.

Nickelback Mike Hilton is excellent at blitzing and tackling. Not at coverage. Hilton had a team-high eight tackles vs. Philadelphia. Five were made tackling catches that resulted in 79 yards. One wasn’t made when Hilton whiffed on Sanders’ 74-yard touchdown scamper.

Second-year inside linebacker Devin Bush and third-year safety Terrell Edmunds, both first-round picks, aren’t progressing as quickly as hoped. Both are markedly inconsistent.

Most of these individual criticisms are nitpicking. No one player on the defense stinks. Fitzpatrick is less impactful, but still good. It’s not like Haden is getting toasted left and right, or that Bush is constantly turned into roadkill.

The defense isn’t dominant, but outside ‘backer T.J. Watt is having a dominant season. Bud Dupree is keeping up his end of the bargain on the side opposite Watt. The front three have been excellent, with Tyson Alualu a revelation at nose tackle after grabbing a starting job at 33.

But the numbers don’t lie. Not the good ones or the bad ones.

The Steelers rank sixth in scoring defense (21.8 points per game), third in total defense (301.5 yards per game) and first in sacks (five per game). Not bad.

But the Steelers are allowing third downs to be converted 50% of the time, which ranks them fifth from bottom.

Here’s a microcosm of the defensive unit’s contradictory nature: It leads the NFL in run defense at 64 yards per game. The Eagles rushed 16 times Sunday. On 15 of those carries, they got just 20 yards. On the other, Sanders went 74 yards and scored, affecting the game drastically.

At 4-0, local hype for the Steelers is a runaway train, accelerated still more by defending Super Bowl champ Kansas City’s home loss to Las Vegas.

The Steelers may yet establish themselves as a Super Bowl contender, but that’s hard to say now given the low caliber of their opposition to date.

But there’s much to be said for momentum and wiggle room, and the Steelers have manufactured copious amounts of both to go along with the nearly nuclear yinzplosion of predicted greatness. But pretty soon the big kids start showing up at the playground.

To continue and legitimize the path the Steelers are on, the defense must play better. That’s non-negotiable.