The Pittsburgh Steelers pulled off an upset in Week 9. Following two brutal losses, they were set to face the Indianapolis Colts, the best team in the league. It looked like the Steelers were going to get crushed. However, their defense made several big plays, shutting the Colts’ offense down. That unit looked more like people expected it to be when this season started. Aaron Rodgers credits a lot of that to Jalen Ramsey.
“Thought there was a good message last night by Jalen,” Rodgers said after the Steelers’ 27-20 win via the team’s YouTube channel. “I noticed that something kind of changed when Jalen spoke.
“Jalen went on and on and had the attention of the room and he said some really, really good stuff. I’m not gonna get into it because I feel like that’s need-to-know information. But it was meaningful to me on the offensive side. And I feel like we had a different energy in the locker room today.”
Whatever Ramsey said clearly had an effect on not just Rodgers but the entire team. That was arguably the Steelers’ best defensive performance of the season yet.
Going up against the league’s No. 1 offense, the Steelers only allowed 20 points. Also, running back Jonathan Taylor looked like a top MVP candidate, leading the NFL in rushing yards and touchdowns before Week 9. The Steelers’ defense essentially shut him down, holding Taylor to 45 yards on 14 carries. That might’ve been that group’s most impressive feat of the day.
However, the Steelers’ defense did a lot of other things right, too. That includes forcing five turnovers. Those were key, difference-making plays. T.J. Watt’s strip-sack gave the Steelers a spark early, and other defenders, such as Alex Highsmith, Payton Wilson, and Joey Porter Jr., continued bringing that energy.
It sounds like they were trying to follow Ramsey’s lead as Rodgers said after the Steelers improved to 5-3.
“I think he played with an edge. That’s the only little peek into the conversation last night was that he wanted us to play with that edge on defense,” Rodgers said. “It didn’t feel like we were doing that enough, and they played with an edge today for sure.”
Ramsey’s wish was fulfilled. The Steelers’ defense certainly played with an edge, and that includes Ramsey. The Steelers’ safety depth was non-existent going into Week 9. That forced Ramsey to play safety for most of the game, and he didn’t look out of place there. While Ramsey didn’t get involved in the takeaway party, he delivered several pretty big hits. He talked the talk and walked the walk.
When the Steelers traded for Ramsey, it was unclear how much he had left in the tank. While he’s struggled at times, he’s mostly been a positive addition to the team. This was only one week, but if the Steelers’ defense can continue playing as well as it did against the Colts, then Ramsey’s speech might be looked back on as a serious turning point.
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