The Pittsburgh Steelers have had one of the worst defenses in football as the halfway point in the 2025 season approaches, and Rex Ryan provided them with some bulletin-board material ahead of their game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
During the Week 9 edition of “Sunday NFL Countdown” on ESPN, Ryan blasted the Steelers for losing their identity. The former head coach and defensive coordinator called Pittsburgh’s defense “atrocious.”
“This defense is old. It’s expensive — the most expensive defense in the league — and they might be the worst defense in the league playing right now. They are the worst that are playing today because Dallas plays on Monday,” Ryan said. “Their defense is absolutely atrocious. Last week before the game, I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me? What (Joe) Flacco did to you? Wait until Jordan Love carves you up.’ And what did he do, he hit 20 passes in a row. Jordan Love’s a good quarterback, but this defense is awful. They contributed as well.”
"[The Steelers] defense is absolutely atrocious." 😳
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) November 2, 2025
Rex Ryan gives his thoughts on the Pittsburgh Steelers. pic.twitter.com/Hlec4mm7tI
The Steelers allowed 35 points in their loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 8 and 33 points to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7. Aaron Rodgers and the offense did enough in both of those games, but Pittsburgh has not been able to stop opponents from scoring.
Pittsburgh has allowed 273.3 passing yards per game, which is the worst mark in the NFL. Their 386.0 total yards allowed per game is better than only two teams — the Bengals and Dallas Cowboys.
Most of the offseason hype surrounding the Steelers centered on their pursuit of Rodgers. The former MVP has played even better than some people expected, but Mike Tomlin’s defense has been practically nonexistent in recent weeks. That will have to change in order for Pittsburgh to remain in postseason contention.
