The Pittsburgh Steelers have given up the eight-most yards to receivers in 2023, and the defense faces one of its bigger challenges this week with the receiving core of the Los Angeles Rams.
All-Pro Cooper Kupp, who opened the season on injured reserve with a hamstring, came back to action two weeks ago and immediately reminded everyone why he’s one of the top receiving threats in the NFL. Though it had almost been a year since he played a full game, he put up 266 yards and scored in those two games.
Rookie Puka Nacua has been a pleasant surprise for the Rams and looks like a fifth-round steal. He has two touchdowns and 598 yards on the season, including three games with 100+ yards.
Third-year receiver Tutu Atwell, with a 119-yard game in Week 6, is coming into his own. He’s an additional red zone threat with two touchdowns.
Pittsburgh’s defense has allowed an alarming average of 245 passing yards per game, 271 in the last three matchups and 302 on the road. Eight of the 11 touchdowns allowed have come through the air.
But, for Mike Tomlin, those obscure stats are just “tidbits.” The secondary has its work cut out for them in L.A., and he doesn’t appear one bit concerned.
“I’m not concerned about obscure stats at this juncture,” Tomlin said during his Week 7 press conference. “Keep watching. Seriously. Our objective is to win, and if we’re going to win consistently, we’ll address all little tidbits and things of that nature. It’ll get cleaned up with a bigger volume to study. “We’re just working on doing what it is that we need to do to win this week. And if we do those things enough continually, we’ll address all of those tidbits.”
These are just tidbits, but safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has had a quiet season thus far. If you look at his game log at Pro Football Reference, there are a lot of zeros. He’s had an uncharacteristic first five games with just two defended passes (and 41 tackles).
Again, Tomlin’s not concerned.
“Minkah’s gonna make his plays. There are blocks of games in the past where T.J.’s not getting sacks. T.J.’s gonna get sacks. Minkah’s gonna make splash plays. That’s what all pros do.”
We’ll see if the secondary made necessary adjustments during the bye and can turn things around this week.
