4 positives to take away from Steelers gut-wrenching performance vs Lions

Alex Highsmith rose to the occasion with T.J. Watt out

I’ll be the first to admit that Alex Highsmith had a few really bad run fits that resulted in big plays for the Detroit Lions. However, I thought his play overall was very good.

Early in the contest, he forced three-and-outs by the Lions with back-to-back big third-down run stops. Highsmith showed excellent hustle and speed chasing ball carries down laterally — something that is clearly one of his biggest strengths.

However, late in the game when T.J. Watt left the field, I thought Highsmith took his game to another level. With the Lions looking to take the lead towards the end of regulation, Highsmith did an excellent job forcing the ball carrier out of bounds for a 4-yard loss. He also forced two sacks late in the contest — both of which were cleaned up by Cameron Heyward.

Highsmith still has a long way to go, but it’s nice to see him perform well late in the game without T.J. Watt taking all the attention away from him. We can be hopeful that he can continue that next week against the Chargers without Pittsburgh’s best player lined up opposite of him.