The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a solid start to the 2024 NFL season. Pittsburgh is 3-2 heading into Week 6, but they have cooled down after losing two straight games. The Steelers desperately want a win over the Raiders on Sunday. Their defense may need to step up in order to secure the victory.

That's certainly the case if you ask Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward. Heyward spoke with the media on Thursday and had a brutal response when asked about Pittsburgh's defense on Thursday.

“In spurts we're having success, but it's not been consistent,” Heyward said, per Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “If we want to get back to our winning ways we have to be way more consistent.”

The Steelers have played some solid defense through five games, but it has not been enough in their last few games.

Pittsburgh has surrendered 27 points to the Colts and 20 points to the Cowboys over the past two games.

Cam Heyward clearly has a higher standard for the Steelers on defense. This is fair because they have shown that they can play better earlier in the season. That said, Pittsburgh is quite banged up on the defensive side of the ball, so it makes sense that the defense would regress a little bit with backups in the starting lineup.

Regardless, Steelers fans will be pleased as long as the team can start winning games again.

Could Steelers start QB Russell Wilson over Justin Fields now that Wilson is healthy?

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Now the Steelers find themselves in an awkward situation at the QB position. With Russell Wilson getting healthy, should he take Justin Fields' place in the starting lineup?

One NFL insider believes that Justin Fields should continue to be the starter in Pittsburgh, regardless of Wilson's health.

“I was in Pittsburgh for Sunday’s game against Dallas, and talking to people there, I definitely did not get the sense Justin Fields was on thin ice or that the coaching staff was looking for a reason to turn it over to Wilson,” ESPN's Dan Graziano wrote. “At least Fields offers running ability, and the coaches and players I’ve talked to there had nothing but positive things to say about him. So, it’s interesting to see what coach Mike Tomlin does on this, but I’m sticking with my prediction that Wilson never plays for the Steelers unless Fields gets hurt.”

Russell Wilson started the preseason as the favorite to win the starting job. However, he suffered a calf injury that thrust Justin Fields into a starting role. Things looked more optimistic through four weeks when the Steelers were 3-1. However, the shine appears to be off Fields at 3-2 among some Steelers fans.

It will be interesting to see what the Steelers decide to do at QB in Week 6.