The scoreboard might not necessarily reflect is, but the Steelers finally saw out of their defense what they expected yesterday. While the game remained in the balance, they largely stifled the Colts, the hottest team in football. With five forced turnovers (another on special teams), five sacks, and a complete shutdown of the run game, they played their game.
And if they keep playing that way, who’s going to stop them, Adam Schein asks. Speaking with Kyle Long on NFL on CBS after yesterday’s game, he had some lofty thoughts about the unit. The Steelers’ defense, he said, “have been up until this point one of the three, four worst defenses in the entire league. But today, this is what we expected. And in my opinion, there’s no reason why they can’t play like this on defense the rest of the year”.
“And if they can play like this the rest of the year, starting next week, I’m telling you, all bets are off”, he added, noting that the Ravens are the betting favorites now, so…literally. “If the Steelers play like this on defense—and they just beat the pulp out of the Colts today—they could beat anybody in the NFL”.
Against the Steelers’ defense, the Colts finished yesterday’s game with 20 points and 368 yards. They went 2-for-2 in the red zone and 5-for-5 on fourth down, producing 26 first downs. But they also turned the ball over five times, QB Daniel Jones responsible for all of them.
The Steelers prioritized shutting down Jonathan Taylor and the Colts’ run game on defense. That forced the game into Jones’ hands, and they were able to make him uncomfortable. It probably helped that they sacked him five times, including two by Alex Highsmith. He and T.J. Watt both recorded strip sacks, while Payton Wilson, Jack Sawyer, and Joey Porter Jr. picked him off.
And the Colts produced 10 points and nearly 150 yards in the final seven minutes, down 17. By the time the Steelers defense allowed a field goal to make it a one-possession game, there were nine seconds left. Sure, they could have closed the game out better, and we’ve seen crazier things happen. But this defense propped up the offense, which fortunately took advantage of its opportunities.
But can the Steelers, with the defense playing at this level, really contend with anybody? Do they deserve to be taken seriously in that light? Well, sure, if you could actually guarantee that they turn into a splash play machine. But we also just saw this same defense go three games without forcing a turnover while barely getting to the quarterback. Necessarily, who they really are is somewhere in between the two extremes. And there’s no way to know which one shows up until you line up and start playing.
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