Steelers’ Cam Heyward addresses ‘unacceptable’ defensive issues that the Vikings can expose

However, the Steelers’ defensive woes against the run were still evident, despite shutting down their running backs, as Drake Maye was able to make chunk plays with his legs.

Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward addressed this ahead of their clash against the Minnesota Vikings , whose backup RB, Jordan Mason, posted 116 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the rout over the Bengals last weekend.

Cam Heyward labels Pittsburgh Steelers’ situational defense as ‘unacceptable’

The Minnesota Vikings put up 48 points against the Cincinnati Bengals with Carson Wentz as their quarterback, with all phases of the ball coming up with big plays.

The Steelers will primarily have to focus on Jordan Mason and stopping the run, but their situational defense is perhaps more alarming, which Heyward discusses.

Speaking on his Not Just Football podcast, Heyward said: “We got to keep working on this run game. This isn’t something that’s fixed in one week. We still gave up 100 last week.

“I know a lot of it came from the QB position, but that’s unacceptable. We’ve got to continue to keep building on wins and keep building on having success.

“I know turnovers finally were a key factor for us this past week, but going forward, it can’t just be turnovers. If we talk about playing better football, if we talk about controlling the line of scrimmage, and controlling the time of possession.

“The Patriots had over a 10-minute drive, and that just can’t happen for our defense to be successful.”

He added, “I think the run game is still a work in progress. We might have done well in the running backs, but we have to do better on the quarterback.

“Drake Maye had two rushes of like 14 and 15 yards. You just can’t have those. One thing we have to clean up is our third and fourth downs. It was not acceptable.

“It wasn’t like we were in bad situations for the third downs. A lot of times, they were third and six-plus. We’ve got to get off the field…. It comes down to awareness, tackling, and execution.”

Jordan Addison returns for Minnesota Vikings to play Pittsburgh Steelers defense

The Vikings’ ground attack could be a major problem for the Steelers’ defense, but it won’t be any easier through the air, as Jordan Addison returns from suspension this week.

Addison was suspended for the first three games of the NFL season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, but he is now back to complement Justin Jefferson.

Backup quarterback Carson Wentz will be the man to lead the Vikings again on Sunday in Dublin as J.J. McCarthy recovers from an ankle injury.

The Steelers’ defense faces its toughest test this season against the Vikings, even without their starting quarterback, which says a fair amount about Kevin O’Connell’s scheme.

Only time will tell if they have managed to address the situational defensive problems that plagued them in New England. Considering the travel on a short week, it doesn’t appear likely.