Steelers defense is finally taking a stand or two
INDIANAPOLIS — No, the Steelers didn’t have to face Andrew Luck but, better yet, they did face the Indianapolis Colts’ porous and beaten up offensive line and their even worse pass defense. For that, the Steelers could be thankful on Thursday night.
After beating hapless Cleveland just five days earlier, that’s the NFL equivalent of Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled into one. Not that the Steelers will complain about that.
Eleven games into this most inconsistent season, we can’t quite say these Steelers are Super Bowl contenders again, even after their 28-7 win in Indianapolis. But we do know that they are now 6-5 and, at least for the moment, atop the AFC North.
Sure, the Steelers still don’t have a No. 2 receiver and the special teams gaffes are mind-boggling as ever, but there were more than a few positives to take from Pittsburgh’s first Thanksgiving Day victory in 66 years.
With all due respect to Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, who were brilliant in Indianapolis, we all know what they are capable of. But what could be just as promising has been the play of the Steelers defense of late. Roundly criticized, and justifiably so, during the Steelers’ recently-concluded four-game losing streak, the defense appears to be turning a corner.
Dissed by many, and dismissed by others after Cam Heyward went down with a season-ending injury, the Steelers have emerged with a snarl.
And no player plays with more snarl than Mike Mitchell. The safety’s big hits, a hallmark of the Steelers defense in 2015, are back (ask Terrelle Pryor and TY Hilton). So are the splash plays. Mitchell, who led the Steelers in picks last season, intercepted Scott Tolzien in the end zone in the fourth quarter to seal Thursday’s win. It was his first of the season and first since last November.
In Cleveland, it was eight sacks that nearly doubled the defense’s season total. Thursday night in Indianapolis, it was three more sacks and a pair of timely goal-line stands that threatened to wipe out what had been a fairly safe lead.
James Harrison, with four sacks the past three weeks, seems to have discovered the fountain of youth. Stephon Tuitt is doing a pretty fair impression of Heyward. Ryan Shazier is healthy, knock on wood, and playing like he’s capable of. And Bud Dupree is back.
Are they great? No. They still are prone to the big play which bit them hard against Dallas and Baltimore. But they are also incorporating a trio of rookies, cornerback Artie Burns, safety Sean Davis and defensive lineman Javon Hargrave into the starting lineup. The latter had one sack Thursday. For Davis, it was the first of his career.
If nothing else, the defense is gaining confidence in these wins and showing signs of becoming the unit that the Steelers had envisioned.
Against the Browns and Colts, the Steelers took care of business. The narrative about the Steelers playing down to the level of their competition? Done.