Steelers' Mike Tomlin addresses T.J. Watt's alarming play

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of blame to go around after a crushing 31-17 Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. A bone-headed mistake on a kickoff return by rookie Kaleb Johnson that extended the Seahawks' lead was a headliner, but the larger concern was the defense yet again. The leader of that unit is of course former Defensive Player of the Year edge rusher T.J. Watt, whose presence, or lack thereof, was noticed in the matchup.

Watt, usually a consistent force on defense, has had an unusually quiet stretch - not registering a sack in any of his last six games. It's become somewhat of a concerning trend, especially since the team made Watt the highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL (at the time) during the 2025 offseason. 

Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin, in his postgame press conference, spoke on the issues he thinks Watt is having.

"When [opposing teams] are on schedule and they're running the ball effectively, it minimizes your opportunity to get one-dimensional pass rushes, individually and collectively."

It's clear from his statements that Tomlin doesn't believe that the problem is Watt specifically, but rather a symptom of the defense being unable to stop the run. There's certainly a valid point to be made there, but there's also good reason to be concerned about Watt himself. He is now 31-years-old, an age when players, especially at physical positions like edge rushers, can begin to decline. 

Still, Tomlin is correct that the team can't stop the run through two weeks of action. Seattle running back Kenneth Walker III rushed for 105 yards, averaging 8.1 yards per carry.

Steelers' defensive struggles continue in Week 2

The Steelers tout the league's highest paid defense, but you wouldn't know it from their play thus far. The team gave up 31 points against the Seahawks, a week after giving up 32 to the New York Jets.