Steelers searching for right mix of healthy defensive players to face Josh Allen, Bills

Teryl Austin doesn’t know which players he will have at his disposal Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers face the Buffalo Bills and $258 million quarterback Josh Allen.

The Steelers first-year defensive coordinator just knows he will put 11 on the field for every snap, and that will have to suffice for a unit that won’t have T.J. Watt, Ahkello Witherspoon and perhaps a few other starters available for the matchup at Highmark Stadium.

The Steelers entered the week with seven defensive players on the injury report, including the five most experienced members of the secondary. Those absences don’t count Watt, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year who must sit out one more game before he can be activated from injured reserve.

“Hey, we’re going to move forward, try to (make) do with the guys we have, the guys that show up and get them in the best positions possible to give us an opportunity,” Austin said Thursday.

While much of the focus this week has been on first-round pick Kenny Pickett and his first NFL start Sunday, an equally important factor on whether the Steelers (1-3) can snap a three-game losing streak revolves around a banged-up defense and how it will hold up against Allen, the NFL’s second-leading passer.

All four members of the secondary that started the Steelers’ 24-20 loss last Sunday to the New York Jets were limited in practice Thursday. That was an improvement for All-Pro free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (knee) and strong safety Terrell Edmunds (concussion), who each missed practice a day earlier.

For the second day in a row, cornerback Cameron Sutton and Levi Wallace were limited. Sutton, though, said he will suit up against the Bills.

Given the uncertainty in the secondary, the Steelers could be counting on Tre Norwood, James Pierre, Miles Killebrew and perhaps even practice squad player Joshua Jackson to play roles against the Bills.

“It’s not a matter of what guys we have,” Sutton said. “We have guys that are more than capable of stepping in, getting the job done. It’s about that, though — getting the job done.”

The problem is, the Steelers defense hasn’t gotten it done for the past three weeks, wilting in the fourth quarter in losses to the New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns and Jets. As the Jets pieced together back-to-back touchdown drives to come back from a 20-10 deficit, the Steelers were dealing with injuries throughout the secondary as well as the defensive line. Cameron Heyward suffered ankle and elbow injuries and also has been limited in practice this week.

“We have to figure out how to get it done,” Austin said, “no matter who is on the field.”

And the Steelers will have to do it against the 6-foot-5, 237-pound Allen, whose 1,227 passing yards are second in the league. He has thrown 10 touchdown passes against three interceptions, and his 183 yards rushing rank fourth among quarterbacks and are only 19 fewer than Najee Harris has gained for the Steelers.

“That’s a rare combination,” inside linebacker Myles Jack said. “You’ve seen what he can do. He’s really like a tight end playing quarterback. He’s made a lot of amazing throws. A guy like that, you can only minimize and contain because he’s a superstar. We all have to play our roles and do what we gotta do to manage that.”

When the Steelers upset the Bills, 23-16, in the 2021 season opener, they kept Allen relatively in check. He passed 51 times, completing 30 for 270 yards and one interception, and he rushed for 44 yards on nine attempts. The Steelers held their own by sacking Allen three times, including two by Watt, and made key plays when he didn’t have the ball in his hands. Turning points were a fourth-and-1 stop near midfield that led to one Steelers touchdown and a blocked punt that was returned for another score.

“Get off the field, limit possessions, create turnovers, execute,” Sutton said. “You have to not make the simple things hard.”

Austin joked that the best approach to beating Allen is to deploy 13 or 14 players on defense. Since he isn’t permitted to use that many, he’ll have to find the best 11, even if he doesn’t know yet who some of those 11 will be.

“We’ll see how we line up for Sunday and what we’ve got,” he said. “I know this. I have confidence in the guys on the field that they’re able to get the job done.”