The Pittsburgh Steelers have the most expensive defense in the NFL, and not by a little bit.
According to ESPN's Brooke Pryor, the Steelers pay their defense $25 million more than any other team in the league.
You'd think, at that level of investment, that they'd be good, right?
Well so far, they've been just the opposite. Or maybe even worse than the opposite of good.
The word Pryor used in her latest write-up: "Abysmal."
MORE: Josh Allen learns that sometimes, it's OK for Superman to be Clark Kent
Check out these stats from Pryor:
"Despite fielding the league's highest-paid defense by nearly $25 million, the Steelers' defensive issues have been glaring through two weeks. Not only have the Steelers allowed opponents to score at least 30 points in the past two weeks, but each team had a 100-yard rusher. The Steelers rank 28th with 149.5 rushing yards allowed per game. Because they can't stop the run, the pass rush also hasn't gotten going, and the Steelers are tied for 25th with 1.5 sacks per game. From top to bottom, the defense is abysmal, and there don't appear to be any easy fixes on the horizon."
It's a veteran unit that has commanded big dollars over the past few seasons, yet somehow, the work isn't getting done anymore.
MORE: This Joe Burrow stat comparison to retired Andrew Luck is depressing
The Steelers' offense looked good in Week 1 with Aaron Rodgers, but it struggled a lot more in Week 2. If the defense is getting picked apart, that's not a good combination.
Pittsburgh may be coming toward a reckoning in a year or two with a lot of its expensive veterans. This season, there's really no choice but to ride it out and hope it gets better, but the Steelers could look very different within a couple of seasons.
MORE NFL NEWS:
- Revisit Derrick Henry's absolutely unfathomable high school stats
- Cameron Dicker set a new NFL kicking record
- Vikings' last-minute Carson Wentz decision just became very important
- Ravens wanted to draft Shedeur Sanders, but he told them no
- Bears' QB Caleb Williams made a promise to his punter, but he hasn't kept his word
- Tom Brady is at the center of some controversy