The front seven of the Steelers’ defense has for some time annually been ranked near the top of the league, or if not, not far behind. However, last year the unit was dealt several devastating blows, including a season-ending ankle injury to nose tackle Tyson Alualu but also a knee injury by Stephon Tuitt, coupled with the death of his younger brother. The team was forced to play rookies and street free agents in their place, and the result was a run defense that plummeted to the bottom of the league. The Vikings game in December epitomizes the season’s run defense in a nutshell as Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook ran roughshod over the defense to the tune of 205 yards, frequently ripping off chunk gains deep into the secondary.
Steelers’ Front Seven Ranked 7th In Sharp Football’s Rankings
