What a day for the Steeler Defense!
So, as we all have witnessed, week one of the 2017 campaign is over, and the Steelers came out on top. This game was a low scoring, high-intensity affair and the defense must get credited with the win. I believe they kept us in this game, and here are my reasons why.
First of all, and most importantly, the secondary did not look as bad as it has looked in past years. Guys like Joe Haden and Artie Burns played great games. Rookie Browns quarterback DeShone Kizer had a pretty great day going 22-30 and obtaining a total of 222 yards through the air, but never truly put up enough points to put this Steeler team away, due to the resiliency they have shown throughout those sixty minutes. Not only did the secondary look better, the linebackers looked better than ever.
Speed was a huge factor in the line backing core of Pittsburgh. Guys like Ryan Shazier and T.J. Watt has incredibly huge plays, resulting in an interception by T.J., and multiple plays stopped behind the line of scrimmage by leading inside linebacker Shazier. Vince Williams and Anthony Chickillo also played huge roles in today’s game by Williams stuffing multiple runs at the line and Chickillo recovering a blocked punt in the end zone for a touchdown. But the biggest factor of all was the pressure the Steeler defense put on Kizer.
T.J. Watt, Anthony Chickillo, Joe Haden, Javon Hargrove, and Cameron Heyward all recorded sacks today, which is, in my opinion, the biggest reason that the Steelers came away with the win today. They kept the Browns offense on their toes and kept DeShone Kizer busy and rattled. If this type of pressure keeps occurring week to week, this Steeler defense could be one of the best they’ve ever had, and it’s on a good foot so far.
Rest assured the offense played well, but we all knew that was coming. This defense was the question coming into this week, and in my opinion, they have shown that they are a force to be reckoned with.
How do you feel about this week’s showing by the Steelers defense?
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