Kovacevic: Canada, Kenny, Najee, offense ... how 'bout the other side?

LOS ANGELES -- Minkah Fitzpatrick's next interception will be his first. Alex Highsmith's registered five total tackles over the past three games. Patrick Peterson's showing some length to those teeth. Levi Wallace is getting picked on like the four-eyed geek in fourth grade. The front line, in Cam Heyward's absence, has been Larry Ogonjubi and pretty much nobody.

Want to complain about the Steelers' offense?

Go nuts. I'm here for it, too. Every day and especially Sunday, including this one that'll bring us all out of the bye with a 4:05 p.m. Eastern time kickoff against the Rams at SoFi Stadium in nearby Inglewood. If Matt Canada, Kenny Pickett, Najee Harris and crew stink it up, I'm sure I'll align with the chorus criticizing them. Or, in Canada's case, calling yet again for his firing.

But let's not pretend the other side hasn't been a problem of similar scope. Because through this Bizarro 3-2 start, the Steelers rank 30th in the 32-team NFL in total defense, giving up a ghastly 389.4 yards per game. That's a precipitous fall from ranking 13th in 2022 at 330.4. The current pass defense ranks 25th, the run defense 29th, and the points allowed of 22.0 rank 20th.

And all that despite employing the premier football player on the planet in T.J. Watt, who's already put up -- deep breath here -- eight sacks, seven tackles for a loss, 15 quarterback hits, 12 quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, four passes defended and, just to show off, a game-winning touchdown:

No, seriously, where's the hue and cry over the defense as a whole? Or about Teryl Austin, who was blessed to have Brian Flores on staff for a year but who now looks naked without him? Or, for that matter, about Mike Tomlin in this particular area, since he's forever made known that the defense is his to manage?

And not so much as a single hockey-fan chant over this?

Here's what I've got: The defense, like the offense, has shown in spurts. Exempting T.J., of course. There've been days where the edge rushers, in the plural, carried play. There were three picks by the corners in Las Vegas. There was a monster 23-tackle showing by the three inside linebackers against Baltimore. Heck, every once in a while, they've even slowed the opponents' running backs.

But what's yet to happen is to have it all at once. And what really, really needs to happen is to have it all come together, as it often does once the early feeling-out phase fades.

I ran this past the premier football player on the planet himself a couple days ago:

“Just continue to improve each and every week," T.J. would reply. "Like you've said, if you’re playing your absolute best football early in the season, you’re not doing something right. So we just want to continue to take those little steps, understand that mistakes are gonna happen along the way. Just continuing to grow as a unit. We need to continue to smash the run like we weren’t able to do as much early in the season and come out of this bye with something to prove.”

Brought it up with Markus Golden, too.

"Yeah, I'd say that's it," he'd reply. "If you look at the players who are here, what they've been able to do in the past, what they still can do, you just need to get it going on all cylinders. That's how Minkah gets his picks. That's how everything happens."

Yep. And that goes double, I'd say, for the interior. Ogonjobi's been terrific, as noted, and Keeanu Benton's shown promise. But the vague miasma of everyone else up front hasn't gotten much done against the run, and far less in terms of pass rush. That can't continue. And no, that can't wait for Heyward's return in November.

My suggestion: Lock Benton into place, let him feel like he's got a firm stake in this defense, and keep all these other Isaiahh Loudermilk types on the sideline. Benton's a kid. He can handle a little extra action.

If Minkah's got to be bumped up to the line to help with routine tackling, that's hurting not one but two positions. That's got to end. Like, now. Either a first-team All-Pro safety's allowed to ball-hawk, or the roster's not being properly utilized, never mind assembled. One of the few pluses for this defense to date has been the 11 takeaways -- five picks, six fumble recoveries -- but it could be that much better with Minkah being freed up.

Another suggestion: Tackle better. Duh, I know, but the Steelers' average of 7.4 missed tackles per game is ninth-worst in the league. And at this level, that's invariably a fundamental flaw as opposed to a shortfall of talent. That's a learn-to and a want-to. Indefensible.

And a final suggestion: Get off the field.

See, Tomlin's repeated corny emphasis on "weighty downs" comes with merit. The Steelers' defense has been on the field for an average of 70 snaps per game. That's a few too many, given that the league's median is 62. But the constant references -- on the outside -- to the offense not staying on the field long enough, though accurate, don't tell the full tale. The Steelers are allowing opponents to convert on third down at a 38.2% rate, which ranks 15th. And being average there is ... well, be better.

Be way better, actually.

DEJAN KOVACEVIC / DKPS

SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif.

• I could toss this onto the suggestion pile, too, except that I don't think I'll have to: Joey Porter Jr. will play more today than most seem to be expecting. That's both welcome and overdue.

• Also and related, Patrick Peterson will continue his evolution on the inside in matching up with Cooper Kupp. Not sure how welcome that'll be. The Rams have all kinds of uncertainty at running back, so they'll throw like crazy, and that means they'll have Kupp involved like crazy.  And that's asking for a lot of huffs and puffs from a 33-year-old corner. To say nothing of the additional task in countering Puka Nacua, who's got 50 catches for 598 yards already as a rookie.

• All hands on deck in the secondary. Minkah, too.

• Not to sound fatalistic, but if the Steelers don't/can't run the ball here, I'm not sure what else matters, regardless of outcome. This season hits a hard dead end as soon as it's clear that they're unable to get consistent production, particularly on first downs, out of Harris and/or Jaylen Warren. The 2022 season turned around after the bye, mostly because they finally found a way to move the sticks. They found a rhythm. They found an identity. And if that doesn't happen against an opponent ranked 22nd in run defense ... when will it?

• • There's no debate to be had, by the way, about Najee vs. Jaylen. Both of those guys are needed for this to work, and which one's on the happy end of some 60/40 split doesn't matter in the slightest. I'll further add that it doesn't work without Anthony McFarland -- once he’s back, which he still won’t be here -- hitting the edges for a change of pace. So we're really talking about a three-way divide.

• Everyone forgotten about Calvin Austin? If so, that'll be a mistake in short order. He won't be the one sitting for Diontae Johnson -- that'll be Allen Robinson -- and he'll be plenty active here.

• Johnson, to me the other day: "I'm so ready for this. I am. Missing all that time ... just watch."

• Don't worry, Mason Cole's going to get help against Aaron Donald. At the same time, especially amid a spotty start to his season -- outright struggles at times -- he sounds legitimately stoked about a chance to set things right with a challenge of this magnitude. As he'd tell me: "It's gonna be fun. That's how I'm approaching it. Fun. This is why you play football."

• No one will listen, but I'd never have pulled Broderick Jones in favor of Dan Moore. I don't care that Moore was hurt. I don't care about whatever culture thing contributes to the logic that an injured player can't lose his job and, if I did care, it wouldn't apply to someone who was battling for that job on merit as recently as, uh, two whole months ago. No, I'd have had Jones and Darnell Washington aligned on my left side with orders to brutalize anyone in their path.

• No Pat Freiermuth hurts. But it'd hurt a ton more if the coordinator had any clue about how to use a pass-catching tight end. As it is, expect Connor Heyward to get at least a couple looks in his stead.

• I hate that A.D. will finish his NFL career without having been with the Steelers, while also respecting that a one-team legend's always so much cooler than a multiple-team legend. And he is that: He's a legend. Singlehandedly killed the Casey Hampton model at nose tackle. Think about that.

• T.J. > A.D. For a while now, anyway. But A.D. will wind up with the more landmark career.

• My prediction: This won't be any Hollywood starlet. Scratch, claw, etc., almost at an AFC North depth of depravity. But it's doable.

• Thanks for reading this! I'll have not one but two columns from here afterward, then fly home on the red-eye!