The Steelers former free-agent signee and former Brown sealed the victory against his old team
I think it was absolutely fitting that Joe Haden, the former Brown, who was released in 2017 and subsequently signed by the Steelers, the day after being released I might add, sealed the victory with a fourth-quarter INT. I was happy for him to have been able to close it out against his former team. It was a tremendous effort on Haden’s part. If you didn’t see it, you can see it here: Haden’s INT
Although it was the only INT of the game, it raised the total number of INTs by the Steelers defense to 15 on the season, which ranks them second in the NFL, according to the official site. Anytime you can close out a game on defense by allowing your offense to take three kneel-downs, you know it was a good day.
Along with the INTs, the sacks are coming fast and furious for the defense. Having generated 5 sacks against the Browns, the Steelers ‘D’ has 43 sacks on the season, good for third-best in the NFL. What these numbers tell me is that ‘rush and coverage’ are working in tandem, meaning the backend of the defense is holding up long enough for the rush to get to the opposing QB.
In fact, the Steelers defense is currently ranked 5th in yards allowed per game and 6th in points allowed per game. Not too shabby after having allowed 33 points in week one against the Patriots. If the Steelers ‘D’ continues to generate sacks and to create turnovers, I think fortune will continue to smile upon us.
The Steelers continue their march toward the playoff on the strength of a relentless defense
So let’s wrap up this discussion by restating the above-the Steelers are making a push toward the playoffs on the strength of our top 5 defense. The offense seems to be coming along, albeit slowly.
If the Steelers desire to be part of the playoff conversation, the offense must become an offense that opposing defenses respect because the Steelers defense is surely garnering respect from opposing offenses.