10th in points against in 2022
6th in points against in 2023
I'll give him this, the defense absolutely carried the team to many of the wins these past two seasons. There was minimal margin for error because of the incompetence of the offense.
My issue with the defense is the seemingly lack of blitzing, they depend on their front 4 to get the job done and if they don't, no one gets the job done. This leads to the second problem, which is the entire philosophy of get to the QB and splash plays. When it doesn't work, they can get shredded. Also, elite offenses or QBs eat this defense alive.
Beyond Austin, it's Tomlin's defense and whatever they do during the playoffs isn't working. Five straight defensive meltdowns in the playoffs shouldn't be acceptable. With Austin staying, I hope they build the defensive staff. There are too many good players on this defense to have so many communication breakdowns.