If anyone still wonders how good the Steelers' 2024 defense can be, an answer can be found in the video of the team's 18-10 victory over the Falcons in Atlanta on Sunday. And you really should watch the whole video, because it's possible to find special moments throughout an afternoon where the Steelers were either behind or ahead by less than a touchdown for all but 28 seconds of a 60-minute game.
The thing about any discussion of great Steelers' defense is there's more than one right answer. There's an easy case to be made for the 1976 version, because that unit finished first in the NFL in both yards allowed and points allowed; it finished with 46 takeaways and was credited with 41 unofficial sacks; and during a 10-game winning streak that took those Steelers from a 1-4 start to a spot in the AFC Championship Game the defense allowed 42 points while recording 5 shutouts.
But you can't play defense like that anymore. The NFL decided to defang that defense by making it illegal to contact receivers more than 5 yards beyond the line of scrimmage before the ball is thrown (the Mel Blount Rule), and liberalizing how offensive linemen were to be allowed to use their hands (because the Steel Curtain had 99.5 sacks over the three previous 14-game seasons).
The next generation very well could point to the 2008 Steelers defense, a unit that was dynamic in terms of sacks (51) and takeaways (29), and this group waged a war of attrition on offenses that was violent and relentless but legal according to the rules of the day. And the cherry on top came at a critical moment in the most important game of the year when Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison authored a pick-six that combined athleticism and relentless effort into a snippet of NFL history. Plus, the way they bludgeoned the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game was the spark that lit the fire of the player safety initiative.
These Steelers don't deserve to be part of the debate where 1976 and 2008 are two of the correct answers, but let's first see how this group fares over the next 16 games to be played over 17 weeks. Then the issue can be revisited.
In Atlanta, though, there wasn't much to not like.
In the context of individual statistics, QB Kirk Cousins completed 16-of-26 for 155 yards (5.9 average per attempt, which is miniscule by NFL standards), with 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions (3 total giveaways), and a rating of 59.0 (similarly miniscule). The Falcons longest play was a 20-yard completion to Ray-Ray McCloud.
Sunday's defense finished with 2 sacks, 7 hits on the quarterback, and 3 takeaways. The Falcons managed just 1 touchdown and got nothing during a second half when their 6 possessions ended: fumble, punt, punt, punt, interception, sack to end the game. That, added to a historical performance by The Chris Boswell and His Magic Leg Show was the motivating force behind the only win during Kickoff Weekend posted by an AFC North Division that's supposed to be the toughest in the league.
"I'm appreciative of that, but to be quite honest with you, we've got high standards and expectations for this group," said Coach Mike Tomlin. "We've got some first team All-Pros in that unit. I expect them to play like that, and they did. Big time players step up in big time moments. I can't say enough about No. 90 and company."
Of course, No. 90 is T.J. Watt, who authored a better performance in terms of impact on the outcome of the game than either Myles Garrett or Micah Parsons, two players favored by recent voters of awards who apparently don't appreciate Watt's relentless will and savvy. Watt finished with 4 tackles, 1 sack, 3 hits on the quarterback, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 fumble recovery, but that's a superficial version of the story.
Late in the first half, his strip-sack on first-and-10 from the Steelers 17-yard line was nullified when an official ruled Watt had jumped the snap count and was offside (disproved by subsequent video but not subject to replay). On the next play, the Falcons scored their only touchdown on an 8-yard Cousins pass to TE Kyle Pitts. Then with 6 minutes and change left in the third quarter, another strip-sack recovered by Atlanta that would've set up a fourth-and-21 at the Falcons 18-yard line was nullified by an illegal use of hands call on Donte Jackson (who more than atoned for the sin with an interception and a 49-yard return that set up a first-and-10 at the Falcons 18-yard line with 2:47 left in the fourth quarter).
Add it all together, and it's game-wrecking stuff. The Falcons lost this game in no small part because they never figured out a way to deal with T.J. Watt. Certainly the ringleader, but Watt wasn't the whole show.
There was the aforementioned interception by Jackson – who sure looked like a nice addition to the defense as a partner with Joey Porter Jr. as the return in the trade of WR Diontae Johnson. DeShon Elliott, another newcomer, made a diving interception in the middle of the field, and he looked like he could turn into a nice complement to Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Falcons did average 4.0 yards per rush, which is a less than ideal number when viewed separately, but they totaled only 89 yards and at no time did it appear as though the Falcons had enough to win by simply running the football.
Maybe unspectacular, but the defensive line was consistent and productive. Cam Heyward had 4 tackles, and Montravius Adams added 3 tackles and 1 sack. Larry Ogunjobi had 2 hits on the quarterback, and CBS showed how one of those encouraged Cousins to unload the throw that became Jackson's interception late in the fourth quarter.
But there were some issues. Too often the passing game either consisted of going deep to George Pickens or it wasn't worth the bother. The Steelers were 0-for-2 in the red zone, and 0-for-1 in goal-to-go situations.
"If you can't get fourth-and-1, sometimes you don't deserve to win. That's just a philosophical approach that we live by," said Tomlin.
"We had some fumbled center-quarterback exchanges on offense," he added. "We were shooting ourselves in the foot. You kick field goals in a hostile environment vs. a good group, you better know you're in danger. I'm just really appreciative that we were able to get it done. We've got things to work on, but it's really good to work on your ills with the 'W.' And so we're going to do that."
A good start to be sure. But only a start.
