Heading into the bye week, the Steelers defense is reaching new heights
By Eric Hassel
A Steelers rookie linebacker is playing at an exceptional level and is making the defense better in the process
When the Steelers traded up in the 2019 draft to select an undersized linebacker who played his college football at Michigan, I was skeptical of both the pick and of the player. Who trades up for a 5′ 11″ middle (inside) linebacker? Thus far, I have to say I have been proven wrong. The player to whom I am referring is none other than Devin Bush.
Bush is leading the defense in both tackles and in INTs with 32 and 2, respectively. Bush has also added one sack. His play is helping to fuel a Steelers defense that ranks in the top 5 in both sacks and interceptions. To further illustrate the rankings, the defense has racked up 20 sacks of opposing QBs and has intercepted opposing QBs 8 times.
Every Steelers fan loves sacks and the players who produce them. Leading the way on defense in that category with 4 sacks is T.J. Watt. Watt, who also has one INT, has been nothing but a bright spot for the defense since he was drafted in the first round in 2017. Rounding out the top 3 in the sack parade are Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt, each of whom have 3.5 sacks.
So how did the Steelers defense rise from the ashes of the Patriots game to 15th best defense in the NFL? Let’s take a look.