Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 things we learned in win over Browns

Defense Continues to Improve

We were all there at the beginning of the year. Heyward and Tuitt weren’t collapsing the pocket. Linebackers were barely a factor. Butler was seemingly squeezing 12 defensive backs at a time on the field and somehow not one was in position to make a play. This was a defense truly built around Ryan Shazier and his unique athleticism. What he can do is irreplaceable, but the Steelers have at least found a functional alternative. They only gave the Browns 237 yards.

Heyward and Tuitt appear to be back to their old selves. Dupree and Watt are roaming the field with increasing confidence, both showing improvement over last year that allows Butler to open up schemes. Watt occasionally plays in a way that evokes the 2000s linebacker play from the Steelers. Joe Haden is showing the type of corner play that Pittsburgh hasn’t seen since at least Ike Taylor and possibly longer. Mike Hilton is a key chess piece with ability to cover and blitz. The secondary as a whole and their development has been the key to plugging the leaks in the dam.