The 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers are a team many around the NFL find an anomaly as they have a 7–4 record and yet rank towards the bottom of the league in so many key statistics. In overall offense and defense, the Steelers rank 26th and 25th respectively. Of all the yardage statistics, the Steelers rushing offense is the best of the group going into Week 13 as they are tied for 14th in rushing yards.

But if the playoffs were to start this week, the Steelers would be the fifth seed in the AFC and they still are in the race to win the AFC North.

While the overall rankings may be low for both offense and defense, the bigger question is which way things are trending. The Steelers offense is just now starting to get going but the rushing offense has gone over 150 yards each in the last four games.

But how is the defense improving?

Since the NFL just finished the 2/3 mark as they head into December, I did a breakdown on the most recent Steelers Stat Geek podcast comparing the first third of the season to the second third  when it comes to the Steelers defensive ranks.

Here is the Steelers breakdown of the rankings in key statistics over the first six weeks of the 2023 season. During this time, the Steelers had five games as well as their bye week.

Steelers Defense Weeks 1-6:

Total yards: 389.4 per game (30th)
Points: 22.0 per game (20th)
Rushing yards: 143.8 per game (29th)
Passing yards: 245.6 per game (25th)
Sacks: 17 (t-11th)
Takeaways: 11 (1st)

As the rankings show, the Steelers defense struggled the first part of the season when it came to yardage. Their best yardage statistic was their pass defense but only at 25th in the NFL. But the Steelers being able to go 3–2 over that time had a lot to do with sacking the quarterback, taking the ball away, and keeping their opponent off the scoreboard in games they were victorious.

Now let’s take a look at how the Steelers did in the middle third of the season from Week 7 through Week 12 where they played six games.

Steelers Defense Weeks 7-12:

Total yards: 325.2 per game (12th)
Points: 15.8 per game (1st)
Rushing yards: 97.1 per game (7th)
Passing yards: 228.0 per game (17th)
Sacks: 15 (16th)
Takeaways: 9 (t-14th)

Looking at these rankings, there are several things that stand out. The first thing is the Steelers were the best defense when it came to points scored over the middle third of the 2023 season. The Steelers have done a great job of improving their run defense, and even their pass defense, despite being in the middle of the league, is still improved.

Another key item of note is that the Steelers sacks and takeaways have slowed down over the second third of the season. While these things are very good things to have, the Steelers success over the last six games has been less dependent on the splash plays in order to stay in game. While the splash plays are great, being able to win without them when necessary is important.

As the Steelers begin the final third in the 2023 season, it will be very important for their defense to continue to be a team that controls the line of scrimmage and keeps their opponent off the scoreboard. If the Steelers defense can continue to trend upwardly through the final six weeks, they will be a unit that many teams will not want to face in the postseason.

For more on this subject as well as other numbers in regards to the matchup against the Cardinals in Week 13, check out the most recent episode of the Steelers Stat Geek podcast below: