I really struggled this week on how to evaluate the Steelers defense. Granted, the final score made it seem like they got plastered, and at times, they did.

Other times, they had strengths, and oftentimes, they were put in a bad position due to flubs by the offense and special teams.

To get a feel for what I’m talking about, let’s take a look at some of the positive and negative plays by the Steelers D, starting with one of my favorite newcomers this year, Javon Hargrave.

Number 79 is a force to be reckoned with on this play, and the Patriots quickly learned that throwing only one body at Hargrave wasn’t going to work all night.

Everyone knew that in order to have success against New England, Pittsburgh would have to put pressure on Tom Brady. The Steelers defense got off the field with this sack early in the first quarter, on a 3rd-and-11 attempt, and the Patriots would be forced to punt.

One thing the Steelers didn’t do well when these two teams met in Week 7 of the regular season, is stop the run. Since that encounter, the Patriots added running back Dion Lewis back to their active roster from the Injured Reserve list.

On paper, this could’ve been a disaster: LeGarrette Blount had 127 yards in that previous encounter, but was held to 47 yards on 16 carries, with an 18 yard long. Taking out the one long gain, Blount averaged 1.9 yards per carry.

Lewis was worse, averaging 1.8, with 11 yards on 6 carries, but did his damage on this 3rd-and-1 play in the first quarter:

Instead of getting the Patriots off of the field and forcing another punt (at a time when it was still 3-0 New England) Lewis gets exactly one yard, as Lawrence Timmons is pushed out of the way, and James Harrison, who makes the tackle, makes it more by bull rushing his block, than actually wrapping up Lewis.

The play is fairly straight forward, in the literal sense. The center attacks Timmons, Hargrave is worked to the inside, and Lewis only has to beat Harrison.

Luckily for Pittsburgh, Lewis went down, or things could’ve been worse, with only Mike Mitchell left behind that front.

But that wasn’t the only opportunity to stop this drive, as New England once again faced a 3rd-and-1 three plays later.

I believe this is one of the instances where anyone watching couldn’t figure out the zone coverage. I’ve defended the Steelers for playing zone, because Brady also tore apart their attempts at playing man, but the familiar sight of seeing corners 10 yards off of the ball, with one yard to go, has got to go!

This ball is out so fast, with 3 receivers set to one side, I’m not quite sure how they would’ve stopped this play… which they should’ve.

Ross Cockrell is posted in man cover to the top, but Burns, who is beaten to the tackle by Mitchell, are so far off the ball, all the Patriots had to do was block the one defender in front of them (William Gay).

Result? Patriots score a touchdown on this drive.

On another 3rd down, this time with 6 to go, we see some confusion which looks like another time this same team played in New England. Chris Hogan will come from the top of your screen and criss-cross with Julian Edelman. Sean Davis is out of the game on this play, and Robert Golden completely loses track of Hogan, while Bud Dupree is basically covering the plot of land.

Artie Burns (bottom) is in great man coverage, but again, the opposite corner (this time Ross Cockrell) is 10 yards off of the ball, and has to make a choice of which receiver to cover. He makes the proper decision, because going with Hogan means Edelman gets open, while covering him instead, bumps Hogan back to the would-be safety coverage.

Or that’s what should’ve happened: the Patriots need six, and get six… points that is.

One last third down play which disappointed me was a 3rd-and-7 from New England’s own 15 with 5:39 left in the 3rd quarter. The Steelers have an opportunity to get off the field with 3rd-and-long, and cannot.

The Steelers send the house at Tom Brady, which leaves Lawrence Timmons on Edelman for a 17 yard gain.

Once again, Burns (bottom) is in press coverage, while Cockrell (top) is 10 yards off of the ball. The Patriots wisely clear Cockrell out, and take William Gay for a ride as well, to get their slot receiver in a good match-up.

Timmons is actually in good coverage, but a split second stutter is all it takes for Brady to connect with one of his favorite receivers.

The Patriots would score a touchdown on this drive as well, which sums up the missed opportunities to get off of the field.

Now what you didn’t see are the turnovers which placed Pittsburgh’s defense in bad positions: an Eli Rogers fumble which gave New England the ball on the Pittsburgh 28 and an interception which gave them the ball on Pittsburgh’s 32. The fumble lead to a TD, but the defense held the next turnover to only three points: a much better job of shutting down the Patriots, though by this point, they had a 33-9 lead.

We all know that third downs have been a problem for several years, and I like the improvement of this defense throughout the 2016 season, but adjustments will need to be made to not allow conversions in 2017. I believe Burns is the first in a few pieces which will help the transition, and we’ll see the return of Cam Heyward as well, which should have a major impact on a young, but growing unit.