The Pittsburgh Steelers did a lot of things well on defense in the 2026 season opener. But to get better, the league’s best players focus on what needs to improve.
Steelers All-Pro defensive lineman Cameron Heyward left little doubt what his defensive teammates need to work on entering Week 2 — run defense.
“Not good enough. Now good enough,” Heyward said on his podcast during a Week 1 postgame episode Sunday. “Known factors. We’ve gotta stop really good backs in this league.
“They run the ball with success, run downhill. But, we can’t be giving up 100 yards. That’s unacceptable.”
Heyward also saw the Steelers run defense get worse as the game progressed.
“I thought first half, we didn’t give up a lot, but second half, they were able to control the clock a little bit,” he added.
The Falcons gained 96 of their 120 yards on the ground in the second half of the Week 1 matchup. As a result, Atlanta controlled the ball for more than 16 and a half minutes in the final two quarters.
Cameron Heyward Sounds Off on Steelers Run Defense
It’s a defensive leader’s job to point to his units flaws. So, after giving up 120 yards on the ground to the Falcons, Heyward had a very appropriate response.
Having said that, the All-Pro was probably being a little overly critical. Falcons’ Bijan Robinson is one of the top running backs in the league, and Atlanta’s ground game needed 31 carries to reach its 120 yards.
Robinson accounted for 83 rushing yards while averaging four yards per carry.
Last season, the Steelers allowed 4.3 yards per rush on defense. Opponents eclipsed the 120-yard mark on the ground six times.
The Steelers holding Robinson and the Falcons to that mark could actually be a good sign of things to come. That could especially be the case considering Pittsburgh’s defense held the Atlanta run game to what it did while taking away playmakers Drake London and Kyle Pitts.
It certainly helped that a banged up Cooper Rush was behind center. But the Steelers defense turned in a very solid Week 1 performance even against the run.
Cameron Heyward Shines in Another Steelers Home Opener
The Steelers could have been better against the run versus the Falcons, but they did a lot of other things very well.
They sacked Rush four times and forced the third-string quarterback to throw two interceptions. One of those picks was a sensational play from T.J. Watt, which he took back for a touchdown.
When the Steelers weren’t getting to Rush or picking off his passes, they were disruptive at the line of scrimmage. The Steelers batted down four passes at the line, three of which came from Heyward.
The All-Pro had three total tackles along with his three pass defenses, which led the team.
The Steelers were an efficient group as well. Heyward made his impact while playing just 32 defensive snaps. The fewest amount of defensive snaps he received in a game last season was 37.
That could be a sign of Heyward’s age — he’s now 37 years old. But it’s also an indication the Steelers are trusting their younger defensive linemen in key situations. It should only help Heyward stay fresh for the end of games and the December stretch run of the campaign.
The Steelers will look to improve against the run in Week 2 versus the New England Patriots. New England recorded 109 rushing yards in a Week 1 loss on Wednesday.
Cameron Heyward Puts Steelers Defense on Notice Despite Week 1 Win