Rex Ryan Torches ‘atrocious’ Steelers Before Week 9 Showdown With Colts

The 4–3 Steelers are limping into a showdown connected Sunday pinch nan 7–1 Colts, having mislaid 2 consecutive games including 1 astatine location past week to nan Packers successful which Jordan Love lit up Pittsburgh's defense successful a historical 2nd half.

While Aaron Rodgers has been productive successful his first twelvemonth pinch his caller team, nan Steelers' defense has been a messiness and is simply a large logic why nan squad is struggling heading into Sunday's matchup pinch an Indianapolis squad that has nan astir wins successful nan the NFL done 8 games.

ESPN's Rex Ryan didn't clasp backmost connected nan Steelers' defense during a conception connected Sunday NFL Countdown, calling nan portion "atrocious" and "awful."

"This defense is old, it’s expensive—the astir costly defense successful nan league—and they mightiness beryllium nan worst defense successful nan convention playing correct now," Ryan said. "They are nan worst that are playing coming because Dallas plays connected Monday. Their defense is perfectly atrocious. Last week earlier nan crippled I’m for illustration what Flacco did against you, what until Jordan Love carves you up and what did he do? He deed 20 passes successful a row. And Jordan Love is simply a bully backmost but this defense is awful."

Here's that rant from Ryan:

Ryan isn't wrong. The Steelers' defense is really bad correct now. They are presently 30th successful nan convention successful yards allowed per game, giving up an astounding 386 yards a contest. Only nan Cowboys (404.6) and Bengals (407.9) person fixed up much yards per crippled than Pittsburgh.

Things will get only harder for nan Steelers connected Sunday arsenic they will look Colts prima moving backmost Jonathan Taylor, who has rushed for 850 yards truthful acold this twelvemonth and has 14 full touchdowns.

The Steelers still atop nan AFC North standings partially because nan 3 different teams—Bengals, Browns and Ravens—have had their struggles to commencement nan year.

But different nonaccomplishment and different bad capacity by Pittsburgh's defense will only ramp up nan unit connected a franchise that hasn't won a playoff crippled since 2016.

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