The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to lean on their defense over the first three games of the 2024 season, but that ended in Week 4, as the normally reliable and elite unit had its worst showing of the campaign thus far.
The Steelers' defense had no answers for the Indianapolis Colts' offense. Whether it was Anthony Richardson early on, or Joe Flacco after Richardson left with an injury, Indianapolis was able to move the ball through the air at will for much of the game and Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs did just about whatever they wanted to.
Things weren't much better on the ground, either, as the Colts ran for 133 yards at a clip of 4.1 yards per carry. Granted, that's not a huge average, but when combined with a successful passing attack, it was more than enough.
Following the loss, former Baltimore Ravens defender and current ESPN analyst Chris Canty labeled the Steelers "frauds" after what he saw from the defense.
"Frauds. I'm doing it," Canty said on ESPN's Unsportsmanlike Conduct. "I hate to do it to my frat brother, Mike Tomlin, but I gotta say no, they're frauds. I don't want to hear about how it's a great defense. You're not a great defense. The Colts kept hitting their head on the goalpost to start the game. I mean, they led with three straight scoring drives, including back-to-back touchdowns. No, they're frauds."
As ugly as it was for the Steelers' defense on Sunday, it's way too early to hit the panic button and call the unit a fraud. It was one bad game.
But it is a stark reminder that the defense is not going to be be able to shut down every team it faces, which is why the offense has to be more consistent than it has been overall. If not, the Steelers aren't going to go far in 2024.
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