Pittsburgh's defense has spent a league-high 162 million on the cap, yet it has surrendered 31+ points in two straight 2025 games. Talent and schemes aren’t translating into stops, and TJ Watt says the group is too talented to keep failing. The critique targets high-draft payers who aren’t winning blocks or finishing tackles, not just coaching. The Steelers head to New England with little time to fix fundamentals, creating urgency for fantasy managers looming over the matchup.

Two weeks of underperformance raise questions about who to trust in Pittsburgh’s stop unit and whether the upcoming trip to New England becomes a pivot point for lineups. With the defense’s ceiling in doubt, fantasy rosters may lean toward Patriots skill players or avoid Steelers defenders until a real turnaround shows.