The Steelers defense gave up 164 rushing yards, didn’t record a sack and never forced a turnover in Sunday’s 45-42 loss to the Jaguars that brought their season to an end.
The days after a loss like that can feature a lot of searching for answers and defensive end Cameron Heyward believes he’s identified the problem. He sees “a discord” between what’s called and what’s being executed as being at the heart of their struggles.
“It’s not the scheme,” Heyward said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I think we had a great game plan, but execution has to be part of the situation. When you don’t execute on your assignments ... it doesn’t matter what you play. You’re sacrificing the team’s success over your own. That’s a critical thing we have to learn from as a group. If one guy doesn’t do his job, then you’re hurting the other 10 guys. I’m not trying to point one guy out. We all have to get better from this. It falls a lot on me, being the defensive leader. We have to grow.”
The Steelers had issues on defense at points during the regular season, but they also set a franchise record for sacks while finishing seventh in points allowed so the work was pretty strong in general. That would explain why Heyward is challenging “everyone to continue to grow” rather than advocate for changes to the unit.
Both Heyward’s assessment of the defense and guard David DeCastro’s criticism of the team looking too far ahead, it seems that a renewed focus on the job right in front of you is one place for growth.
