Tim Benz: Steelers about to face dramatically better quarterback play, beginning with Chargers’ Herbert

Many Pittsburgh Steelers fans have expressed concerns about their team’s rush defense lately.

As they should.

Subpar opponents such as the Detroit Lions (0-8-1) and the Seattle Seahawks (3-6) have pushed the Steelers to overtime based largely on their ability to run the ball. In those two games combined, the Steelers allowed 373 yards on the ground.

In fact, during their current five-game unbeaten streak, the Steelers have managed to avoid a loss despite yielding an average of 142.2 yards per game on the ground. Extrapolated over the course of the season, the Steelers would find themselves 31st in the league at that rate.

Run stoppers for the Steelers have had trouble getting in the right gaps, shedding blocks and making tackles. In other words, pretty much all the fundamental areas of run defense.

Strangely, the Steelers’ best effort of the five games in stopping the run is when they were excellent against the Cleveland Browns in Week 8. The Browns entered that game tops in the NFL at 170.4 yards per game on the ground. The Steelers held them to 96.

Where the Steelers have been fortunate during this five-game stretch is that — while giving up way too many yards on the ground — they haven’t faced an opposing quarterback that could further stress the defense with a complementary passing game to the point of actually getting a win.

Chicago’s Justin Fields flashed his talents on Monday night a few weeks ago. But he’s still a rookie and a little green. Aside from him, the Steelers have beaten Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield, Denver’s Teddy Bridgewater and Seattle’s Geno Smith and have tied Detroit’s Jared Goff during that span.

Accounting for Fields’ lack of experience, you could argue Mayfield is the best quarterback they have faced during the five-game unbeaten run. Unfortunately, you could also argue that he is the worst of the quarterbacks they may face the rest of the season.

The Steelers (5-3-1) have eight games left. Seven of them will feature an opposing quarterback who started play this week in the NFL’s top 12 in terms of pass yards.

• 11/21: Justin Herbert (6th, 2,545 yards) (Los Angeles Chargers)

• 11/28: Joe Burrow (7th, 2,497 yards) (Cincinnati Bengals)

• 12/5: Lamar Jackson (8th, 2,447 yards) (Baltimore Ravens)

• 12/9: Kirk Cousins (9th, 2,443 yards) (Minnesota Vikings)

• 12/19: Ryan Tannehill (12th, 2,358 yards) (Tennessee Titans)

• 12/26: Patrick Mahomes (2nd, 2,940) (Kansas City Chiefs)

• 1/3: Baker Mayfield (22nd, 1,990) (Cleveland Browns)

• 1/9: Lamar Jackson (8th, 2,447 yards) (Baltimore Ravens)

So the Steelers’ pass defense better be on point during the back half of this season, as it was agaist Buffalo’s Josh Allen in Week 1.

“We’ve got a long list of good quarterbacks to play,” defensive captain Cameron Heyward said Thursday. “But you’ve got to beat the best. We say we want to go to the playoffs. What better way to make a statement (than) how we play against these guys?”

Part of the problem for the Steelers is that this stretch of games may begin without a number of their defensive starters. Stephon Tuitt has missed the entire year. Tyson Alualu went on injured reserve with a broken ankle in Game 2 against the Las Vegas Raiders. T.J. Watt (hip/knee), Joe Haden (foot) and Minkah Fitzpatrick (covid-19) haven’t practiced all week.

“I always feel good about our group,” head coach Mike Tomlin said this week of the depth players in his secondary. “Given an opportunity to prepare, regardless of whether or not we have Minkah or Joe Haden or others, you give us six days to prepare, I like our chances.”

Replacing Watt may be a different story. He left Game 2 against the Raiders, missed Game 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals, and clearly wasn’t 100% against the Green Bay Packers, despite racking up a pair of sacks — one on an unpenalized trip, one on a touch up of Aaron Rodgers.

The Steelers lost all three games.

With Melvin Ingram having been traded to Kansas City, Watt’s snaps are going to be absorbed by free agent acquisitions Taco Charlton and Derek Tuszka. Are they ready to fill that huge void if Watt is sidelined?

“Whether they’re ready or not, they’re gonna have to,” defensive coordinator Keith Butler said Thursday. “We can’t wait on them. They’ve got to come out and they’ve got to know what we ask them to do. They’re getting better in terms of that.”

If Watt can’t suit up Sunday night, Tuszka and Charlton hurrying Herbert will be key. Even though running back Austin Ekeler averages 4.7 yards per carry, Butler expects the ball to be in Herbert’s hand most of the game.

“I think they’ll try to run the football but not as much as Detroit did, for sure, because they’ve got a good quarterback. Why not use him? So, we’re gonna have to be able to defend both the run and the pass,” Butler said.

Trying to do both at the same time has proven to be a challenge so far for the Steelers. In those three early season losses to the Raiders, Bengals and Packers, the average quarterback rating for Derek Carr, Joe Burrow and Aaron Rodgers was 114.9. They totaled seven touchdowns and just one interception. Opposing rushing attacks averaged 4.5 yards per carry in those games as well.

In other words, the defense better improve. A lot. Against better quarterback competition, with a potentially depleted roster.

Or the offense better score a lot more points.