They have the best individual defensive player in the NFL, but this is becoming more than just one episode of The TJ Watt Show after another. The 2024 Steelers defense is talented, and it's the main reason the team is off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2020. It looks to be evolving into more than just a one-man gang.
“They have to be the catalysts for us, and they know that,” coach Mike Tomlin said of his defense.
The defense can be viewed as the catalyst for Sunday's 13-6 win over the Broncos in Denver, much like it was in an 18-10 win over the Falcons in Atlanta a week ago. Or perhaps a more accurate view might be to consider that unit their safety net.
A safety net, because even with minimal offensive production — 13 points, 1 touchdown, no touchdowns after 18 points — there’s a growing feeling that as long as nobody makes a mistake that puts the defense in a really bad position, or worse yet shows up directly on the scoreboard as a defensive touchdown, things will be OK.
“We have a group of experienced guys,” Tomlin said matter-of-factly. “Honestly, we've had a lot of talent over the years. I expected (that level of performance). It's appreciated, but definitely expected.”
Expected and necessary, especially at this early stage of the season and in a process that has brought together a new offensive coordinator; 3 new quarterbacks and a new assistant coach to work with them; young offensive linemen who are either new or new to the starting lineup, or both; and a group of wide receivers devoid of depth behind George Pickens and a group of tight ends lacking the same behind Pat Freiermuth.
This offense is neither dazzling nor consistently efficient, and certainly nowhere near prolific. The next category depends on how one views their near misses, used here as a term for a handful of plays impacted/nullified by penalties. Do you see them as evidence of an imminent/impending turnaround, or as an indictment of a unit that is still doing the same kind of self-destructive things in games we first saw during the preseason opener in early August.
For example, on the Steelers' second series of the game, Justin Fields orchestrated a 12-play, 78-yard drive that historians will record as the first touchdown of the 2024 regular season, and which experts in the tabular style must admit was well done.
Fields converted both third downs on the drive, one allowing the possession to develop some momentum and the other punctuating it with an exclamation point at the end. His 13-yard pass to Pickens converted third-and-5 from the 27-yard line; his back shoulder throw to Darnell Washington in the end zone made the ball look pretty sweet the way it was supposed to be placed based on the coverage, and then it got even sweeter when a guy known for his blocking made one of those spectacular hand-catches that are usually replaced by tight ends who get paid a lot of money and/or squirt a billionaire pop star across town.
That included the offensive line that shanked Jaylen Warren for 18 yards on 3 carries, as well as a couple of plays where Fields showed the rare skill that made him the 11th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. He used his legs to take advantage of a crease in a pass rush and capitalized on it for 16 yards, and then he was perfectly timed and on target for a 14-yard hookup to Freiermuth that got the Steelers close enough to go with a back-shoulder fade to Washington.
The total on that possession seemed to offer such hope, as Chris Boswell’s PAT dug the ball through the pipes to give them a 7-0 lead with 1:56 remaining in the first quarter, but it turned out to be a tease.
Even when the offense started to hammer its own head, with a holding penalty negating huge chunks of yardage and turning a promising possession into one of 8 punts started by recently signed Corliss Weightman, and then following up with an offensive pass interference penalty that took a touchdown off the board, the defense was still there to confuse and befuddle rookie quarterback Bo Nix, and by extension frustrate coach and play-caller Sean Payton.
A great example of this came in the middle of the third quarter, when the Steelers had a 10-0 lead. Payton used his tricks and threw a rabbit out of a direct snap to running back RB Javonte Williams, who then pitched to Nix, who was originally lined up wide, who then threw downfield, where WR Josh Reynolds completed the play for a 49-yard gain at the 7-yard line. Matters were made even worse when CB Deonte Jackson was shaken up on the play and had to be replaced by Corey Trice Jr., whose entire regular season resume only included the 7 defensive snaps he played in the opener against the Falcons.
Yet on his second snap of the game, the 9th of his career, Trice reacted to having no receivers in his area by sliding toward the middle of the end zone, where he was in perfect position to get between Nix and his intended target: WR Courtland Sutton. And the best part was that when Nix still threw the ball, Trice made the interception like a veteran ball-hawk.
“We felt like we were getting close all day with the pressure we were putting on, and for Corey to play like that was huge,” Watt said, “but we're not surprised. We like to play games. We like to see who's going to make plays. We know there are some plays to play, but we're trying our best not to do more than we're expected to do. We're trusting each other, and I think we're going to continue to get better as a defense.”
There were other examples, too – Damonte Kazee's result-sealing interception, and Isaiah Loudermilk's pawing up and batting the ball over the line of scrimmage on third-and-6 from the 16-yard line that turned a potential disaster into a red zone field goal. Mix in the typical Watt play; a sack and two tackles for loss by Alex Highsmith; DeShone Elliott was around the ball enough to lead the team with nine tackles; Joey Porter Jr. turned Courtland Sutton into another player who tied for fifth on his team in receptions, and that was good enough.
That was good enough because Fields didn't turn the ball over and Smith's play-calling did its job in limiting the chances of that happening. It's unrealistic to expect a formula like this to produce wins in the regular season, but in the meantime, it's working. One thing is for sure: the shelf-life of this formula isn't long enough for the Steelers to rack up enough wins to reach the postseason and win once they get there.
But as they continue to work on making the offense more efficient and productive, that’s what they have.
“I always expect more from (the defense) because they have a lot to give,” Tomlin said. “Obviously, when the offense faces some challenges in terms of non-regular players in the lineup and a hostile environment, (the defense) knows that.”
And even better than knowing this is developing more people capable of contributing to it.