In defeating the Indianapolis Colts 27-20 last Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers defense went into the game with something to prove. I had written in my preview they would have to bring their “A” game to defeat the previously 7-1 Colts, and you could call the performance by the defense a statement game. The Black and Gold defense definitively made a statement.
Having had two straight terrible defensive performances, it was obvious the players on defense took the commentary coming from everywhere about how bad they have been personally. What they did to the high powered Colts offense, a unit that was one of the highest scoring and most productive in the league was remarkable. They put out an effort that results in six turnovers the first time a Steelers’ defense had that many takeaways in 14 years.
The NFL’s biggest running threat Jonathan Taylor who is leading the league in rushing was held to just 45 yards rushing and a 3.2 yards per carry average. Much had been made about quarterback Daniel Jones being reborn in Indy, coming off an up and down career as a New York Giant but on this day, he threw three interceptions and was sacked five times. Jones also fumbled the ball three times and lost two of them. Josh Downs also had a fumble making three fumble recoveries for the day.
One of Jones’ fumbles came of the strip ball attempt by none other than T.J. Watt. Pittsburgh’s defense was attacking, and the tackling efforts were much better than they had been in the last two games. Deshon Elliott was not available, and neither was Jabrill Peppers. Still, the performance by the defense should make Mike Tomlin proud and it probably saved Tyrel Austin’s job.
The final score in no way reflects the dominating effort put forth by the defense and while the Steelers’ offense did not play up to the efforts of most of the games this season, they took advantage of the turnovers and scored points off of them. There are too many names on Pittsburgh’s defense to high five for their efforts, but certain players absolutely stood out. First and foremost, let me give kudos to Payton Wilson. This dude played his ass of this past game. He led the team in tackles with 14 ten of which were solo efforts. Wilson defended two passes and blocked a pass that ended up in the hands of rookie Jack Sawyer.
Wilson also had an interception of his own. Joey Porter started the game slowly then came up with a huge interception late in the game. Porter added eight tackles and a sack of Daniel Jones. He also defended four passes. Porter Jr.’s play of late was suspect but he made up for it all in one game. Rookie first round pick Derrick Harmon is learning the NFL quickly and had a very good game. A big time effort was made by Keeanu Benton.
While Jalen Ramsey had one very stupid penalty the rest of his efforts showed why he was one of the best secondary players in the league in seasons past. Newcomer Kyle Dugger made his debut in Pittsburgh with four tackles. Then there was Alex Highsmith. While T.J. Watt has always been the center of attention on the Steelers’ defense, Highsmith is on the field to distract the attention away from Watt and he absolutely made a statement on that against the Colts with four tackles, three solo, two sacks, three tackles for a loss and one pass defended. He also hit Jones once.
While the way the defense played in the defeat of the Cleveland Browns a few weeks back, this effort more than tops that game. The Colts were coming in looking like strong favorites and the end result has many asking, “were the Colts having a bad day at the office or is this the real Steelers defense and Indianapolis got exposed?” I believe this is the kind of game the Pittsburgh defense is capable of. It turns out that scheming was not the issue, it was a lack of effort.
When they want to be, the Steelers defense can be this good. Put out a 60 minute effort and the Pittsburgh defense can shut anyone down. I’ve always believed there is too much talent on that side of the ball to be as bad as they had been in the two previous losses and the proved me right in the defeat of the Colts. For Rex Ryan to call the Steelers defense “old,” he is only right about a few players. There is more than a handful of young talent on the Pittsburgh defense namely Payton Wilson. Joey Porter Jr. is young. Keeanu Benton is still in the early stages of his career. Derrick Harmon is just getting started. Alex Highsmith has a long way to go before he hangs up his spikes. Nick Herbig is a rising star. Jack Sawyer in his first season is a prototypical Steelers linebacker. So perhaps we could call Watt and Cameron Heyward “old”, but this is a defense that is relatively young and if they keep on doing what they did in this last game, they will be saving coaching jobs.
As for the offensive side of things, Aaron Rodgers has basically been carrying the team thus far and as the defense had their best game to date, Rodgers and the offense can’t say the same thing. The first name to be mentioned besides the quarterback is D.K. Metcalf. Trading for him prior to the season start was thought to be bringing in a dangerous weapon. That he is but his inconsistency is starting to wane on fans. Facing the Colts, Metcalf had just two receptions for six yards and was targeted four times.
While there have been some calling for the Steelers to trade for another receiver to complement Metcalf, I strongly disagree. Calvin Austin stepped in beautifully to become the primary target for Aaron Rodgers. With five receptions and 56 yards, Austin averaged 11.2 yards per catch one coming for 18 yards and his speed was evident on catch that when he turned the corner, the Colts’ defender had no chance of stopping him short of a first down.
Then there is Darnell Washington. The big man had four catches and 43 yards for a 10.8 YPC mark. Washington should be a primary weapon and unlike last season where his hands were a little more like stone, this season he is showing a strong ability to catch balls even when they are off target. This offense had a bad day no doubt besides the 27 points scored. If the Pittsburgh defense can stay status quo for the remainder of the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to be an extremely dangerous team.
The Steelers may have never had it so good at the tight end position. With Washington there is the #1 guy at the position Pat Freiermuth. Freiermuth could be called “Mr. Reliable.” Great hands and good ability to get open. Three receptions in this most recent victory and a touchdown. But the Pittsburgh attack also deals with the running game, and it is getting stronger. Starter Jaylen Warren ran the ball 31 times against the Colts and while he only had 31 yards for a very low per carry average, he finally scored a touchdown not once but twice.
Rookie Kaleb Johnson had one big clutch reception for nine yards. Roman Wilson who missed all of last season with an injury has made strong efforts this season so far and while Steelers Nation may have shook their collective heads at Wilson’s fumble recovered by the Colts at an inopportune time, he was making a football move and a great effort to avoid a tackle so he should not be blamed for that turnover.
More kudos…Ke’Shawn Williams on three kickoff returns averaged 24.7 per return. Excellent. Chris Boswell? The Steelers kicker was his usual self with two field goals that are money in the bank almost every time he lines up for an attempt. Corliss Waitman? Perhaps the strongest punter in Steelers history with five punts for an average of 50.4 with a long of 67 and two placed inside the 20. Hats off to Mike Tomlin on keeping Waitman as the punter.
As for Aaron Rodgers, he was 25 of 35 for 203 yards and a respectable 95.3 rating. Speaking for Steelers Nation, I’m pretty sure none of us care about glowing stats. We want wins. Victories. Rodgers give us the opportunity every time out to get us a win, especially with a lead or in close games. If he doesn’t throw for 300 or more yards at all this season, then who cares? Get us a division title and a playoff victory as well as hopefully more and this season will be deemed a major success.
Prior to this game I was fearful the Steelers would lose this one and the next in Los Angeles when they face the Chargers on Sunday Night Football in Week 10. With the Chargers pulling out a victory by the same Steelers/Colts score over the 1-8 Titans, this bodes well for the Steelers. A victory out west next Sunday coupled with what I believe will be a Baltimore loss in Minnesota, would propel the Steelers to a 6-3 record and the Ravens would drop to 3-6 a full three games behind Pittsburgh in the AFC North.
Forget the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns. The Bengals defense is as bad as it gets, and they’ve blown two large leads in consecutive weeks surrendering 39 and 47 points to the Jets and Bears, respectively. Now at 3-6 with a pathetic defense, they are cooked. Cleveland is 2-6 and next up for them is a trip to New Jersey to face the Jets. Given how New York faired against the Bengals they should be able to make it a sweep of the Ohio teams.
In recapping this wrap-up, Steelers Nation can sigh a collective huge sign of relief. We are not dead yet. The outlook is promising and if Pittsburgh can get a victory over the Chargers the “gauntlet” will be over for the 2025 season and be a much better result than what they encountered in the final four games of last season. The Steelers still have Buffalo and Detroit ahead on the schedule, but the NFL is so unpredictable. Last week the Green Bay Packers drilled the Steelers and this past Sunday? They lose to the Carolina Panthers, scoring just 13 points. Go figure.
