Steelers Defense
Steelers Defense
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense knew it needed to play better than it did in Week 4 against the Cleveland Browns. Saying the defense stepped up is an understatement: the unit recorded more sacks (8) than points against (6) throughout the AFC North showdown.
Jaylen Warren led the way offensively once again for the Steelers in the 27-6 win over the Browns in Week 8.
Steelers Defense, Jaylen Warren Set Tone in Week 8 Win Over Browns
After forcing fumbles on back-to-back drives to start the game, the Steelers defense set the tone and made it clear this game would have a different result. At the very least, it was going to be much tougher for Deshaun Watson and the Browns to move the ball. Despite Watson throwing for 324 yards, the Steelers defense held Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson to a combined total of 32 rushing yards.
The Browns mustered just two second-quarter field goals, and that was all they could put together. It was by far the most complete performance for the Steelers defense. Pittsburgh was just two sacks away from tying its team record for most sacks in a single game.
“I think when you get into division games, you know, the bigger the game, the importance of making those critical plays [increases],” head coach Mike McCarthy said in his postgame press conference. “I thought our defense really highlighted that today: fourth-down stops, keeping them out of the end zone, the turnovers early that gave us the field position. … We took a step in the right direction today.”
As a result of the strong performance spearheaded by the Steelers defense, Pittsburgh is now 6-2 entering the bye week and riding a four-game win streak. It was a much stronger defense for Pittsburgh in Week 8, and T.J. Watt made it clear the results in both games were decided by one thing.
“I think it just comes down to execution, and any time you can make them as one-dimensional as we had to make them today, and you stop the screens, there’s really not much else left for them to do,” Watt said in his postgame press conference on Sunday. “We were able to pin our ears back and get after him [Watson].”
Grading the Offense in Week 8 Win Over Browns
It wasn’t just the Steelers defense that took a major step forward to help get the Steelers to 6-2 through eight weeks. Warren and the offense continued to be successful on the ground similarly to how they attacked opposing defenses since Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts. While the Colts aren’t necessarily a high-quality opponent, that win helped turn things around and create a new identity for the Steelers.
Rico Dowdle got more involved on Sunday against Cleveland than he has all season, recording 15 carries for Pittsburgh. The Steelers ran the ball 33 times, and outside of the Pat Freiermuth tush push, it was a 17/15 split between Warren and Dowdle.
In the passing game, Aaron Rodgers did just enough by completing 13 out of 25 passes for 172 yards and an interception. He managed the game well enough to help set up the run and keep the Browns honest. Rodgers didn’t speak about his performance specifically, but he admitted there is room for improvement.
“Not very complete,” Rodgers admitted when asked about how he views the offensive performance. “The defense played excellent, the special teams did fine, but offensively, there should’ve been a lot more points. … There were other opportunities, but we didn’t execute down there on the goal line.”
The Last Word
Pittsburgh enters the bye week with a lot of confidence, and the Steelers’ defense is leading the charge. However, the schedule gets much more difficult for the Steelers after the bye week. Even with the Philadelphia Eagles not being as good as expected this year, Pittsburgh doesn’t have many games left against teams that currently have a losing record.
The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, November 10 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The Steelers, even with trading Joey Porter Jr., have figured things out defensively. On the offensive side of the ball, Pittsburgh could certainly use another pass catcher to complement D.K. Metcalf and Germie Bernard while Michael Pittman Jr. remains on injured reserve.
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Main Photo Courtesy of Barry Reeger – Imagn Images