Seriously: the Steelers don’t win Monday without help from their secondary
The title headline is a statement that will draw ire or praise. That’s because the Pittsburgh Steelers defense has been hot and cold through three weeks of the 2018 season.
Okay, they were 99% cold against the Kansas City Chiefs, but then again, who has been able to slow that team down? Those major breakdowns aside, the Steelers entered Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida Monday night with zero expectations to shutdown another high-powered offense and a 2-0 Buccaneers team.
It was only a three-point victory, but Pittsburgh did it, earning their first win of the young season with a final score of 30-27. James Conner looked strong closing out the game. Ben Roethlisberger, aside from an early three-and-out and an interception in the third quarter, is looking like vintage Big Ben. Vance McDonald contributed a touchdown and JuJu Smith-Schuster continues to remain a threat with Antonio Brown drawing a lot of attention from opposing defenses.
However, it was the Steelers own defense, especially their secondary, which deserves some praise for this win. That may sound awkward to say, but given closer inspection, it’s true.
The return of Joe Haden alone was a difference maker, as the starting cornerback had a team-high three pass deflections. A shaky situation with Artie Burns saw the third-year pro split time with veteran Coty Sensabaugh. Burns would deflect a pass and force a fumble.
Yes, he gave up a touchdown to Tampa WR Mike Evans, but don’t forget that Evans is one of the best in the business too. (It happens.)
Sensabaugh added five tackles and wasn’t a bigger liability; a credit to himself for clawing into a timeshare and fighting for playing time. While both Burns and Sensabaugh may have been auditioning for one spot, with neither really winning the spot, their play was enough to help assist the front seven in sacking opposing QB Ryan Fitzpatrick three times and hitting him a total of 13 times.
That pressure led to the Buccaneers converting only 33% of their third downs and going 2-for-5 in the red zone. One of those trips toward the goal line ended in CB Mike Hilton intercepting Fitzpatrick. Hilton also recovered the aforementioned fumble forced by Burns.
And don’t forget Terrell Edmunds, the first-round draft pick who picked off an errant Fitzpatrick throw. That may have been a “gimme” but his 35-yard return was not. (I anticipate that the rookie will eventually have a pick six this season.)
Second-year cornerback Cameron Sutton, who also had a rough day at the office the previous Sunday, didn’t hear his name called Monday night. That may seem as if he didn’t do anything in the game, but on the contrary, when you don’t hear a corner’s name it means they’re doing something right (in shutting down the opposing offense).
I mentioned Joe Haden already, but his name gets mentioned here again because it was barely said during the game. Much like Sutton, Haden wasn’t heard from as the veteran shutdown his opposition. Haden may have had the biggest play of the night, knocking away an intended touchdown pass for Bucs WR Chris Godwin.
Tampa was forced to kick a field goal, despite three attempts within five yards of the goal line.
There’s even some love for Sean Davis who hit Fitzpatrick once and knocked down another pass while adding six combined tackles on the night.
That’s a lot of splash from an unlikely source: the secondary. This is a group that’s supposed to be awful, and while they’re not trending toward legendary status (yet) they did more than enough to get the job done.
The names mentioned helped hold down the fort when the team needed them most. Things were looking bleak. The offense went three and out early, Big Ben threw an interception, and then they stalled entirely after the first half. Chris Boswell missed a PAT and a field goal try. But it was the defense, and that extra help in the defensive backfield, which helped the team achieve victory.
That’s not an overzealous statement, but it’s one that shines a light on what may be possible as the 2018 progresses.
