‘Can’t Say That They’re Real:’ Gerald McCoy Doesn’t Believe Steelers Are Contenders

The Pittsburgh Steelers were one of the last few undefeated teams in the NFL, but a bad showing against the Indianapolis Colts has changed that. The Steelers still fought hard but ultimately made too many mistakes to win. They’re still at the top of their division, though. However, former NFL defensive lineman Gerald McCoy doesn’t believe the Steelers are actual contenders.

“The defense has been probably the best unit across any team all season,” McCoy said Monday on The Rich Eisen Show. “Then Joe Flacco comes in. It is like, what happened? That’s why I say I can’t say that they’re real right now because all [the Colts] did is bring in Joe Flacco. The defense is still the defense.”

That’s a fair criticism. The Steelers’ defense is supposed to be the strength of their team, and they had been through three weeks. However, against the Colts, they looked lost. Even before Flacco came in at quarterback, they were struggling. They tightened up a little bit in the second half, but they still didn’t live up to their standard.

The Steelers offense has been dealing with multiple serious injuries, too. They already weren’t a strong unit, but now their offensive line is being held together with duct tape. Despite all of that, they almost brought the Steelers back to win that game. It wasn’t the defense making splash plays that changed things.

The Steelers’ defense is also relatively healthy. They’re missing Alex Highsmith, but Nick Herbig is a decent option to fill in for him. The rest of the starting unit is healthy, though. There aren’t any excuses for why a 39-year-old backup quarterback came into the game and picked them apart.

One loss doesn’t mean the season is over though. The Steelers defense will likely do their best to rebound from that performance. They’re better than what they were in Week 4. It might have been a good wake-up call, reminding them all to stay hungry no matter what.

For now, they’re still in the lead in the AFC North, and while they might not be a Super Bowl contender, they still look like a legitimate playoff team. They have an opportunity to get back on track this week against a wounded Dallas Cowboys team, so hopefully, they take advantage of that matchup. There’s still a lot of football left in the season.