It wasn't historic — and more on that whole historic concept later — but the Steelers wake up today with a 2-1 record and tied for first place in the AFC North because of what their defense did at New England. Admittedly, it could be argued that they're not 3-0 because of what the defense couldn't do vs. Seattle, but that's just the norm in a league where only 6 of the 32 teams (18.75 percent) are still unbeaten, and every single team in the NFL is 1 injury away from disaster.
That's just how it is, and the NFL wants it that way, because parity draws big ratings to networks and streaming services, which in turn makes for lucrative broadcast revenue, which is very good for business.
Anyway, the Steelers are 1 of 9 teams with a 2-1 record in the ultimate parity league. For some, that qualifies as being in the mix. For others, it means mired in mediocrity. Either way, it keeps them relevant, and that's what is most important when you're 3 games into a 17-game season that spans 18 weeks on the calendar.
That victory over the Patriots that gave the Steelers their 2-1 should be credited to a defense that had 5 takeaways. Two of the takeaways happened in the end zone to directly impact the scoreboard, and resulted from video study, an emphasis in meetings, and repetition on the practice field.
Not surprisingly, the view of whether they deserved to be called takeaways or turnovers depended on which coach you asked.
"We spend a lot of time on our ball search culture," said Mike Tomlin. "But it's just words, it's an agenda. The efforts of the guys make it real, not only on Sunday but during the course of the week. It just felt like we were heading toward a good game in that area, just the way we worked this week in that area."
Mike Vrabel took the opposite view. "We don't need to lose a football game to know that turnovers are very hard to overcome. They erase all the good things that you do. They take away momentum. They take away points, give them field position. We didn't need to turn it over as many times as we did to learn a lesson. I think we knew that before."
Everybody knows that turnover ratio regularly impacts the outcome of NFL games, just as they know the difference in a couple of wins or losses over the course of a whole season can mean making or missing the playoffs, and between being at home or on the road in those playoffs. September though is not the time to be thinking about playoffs or seeding. September is the time to stack wins to build a resume that earns the right to play in those significant games when the time does come.
So in Week 3, the Steelers won a game because their defense's ability to take the ball away was more significant/impactful anything else they did or allowed the Patriots to do.
Because there are typically several days between games, that dead time allows for a lot of critical analysis of individual performances, design, strategy, play-calling, etc. And yes, the Steelers could have been better in some of those areas, but there is truth to benefitting from being able to work on your warts coming off a win. It's not just a cliché to spew during postgame interrogatives. It really is life in the NFL.
Even so, the Steelers offense was woefully inconsistent. For example, they had 8 possessions – not including 3 kneel-downs at the ends of the two halves – and on three of those possessions they ran 29 plays and scored 21 points. In the other 5 possessions, they ran 17 plays, punted 4 times, turned it over once, and scored zippo. That led to a chunk of the game where the Patriots built toward a 71-49 overall edge in offensive plays run and a nearly 7-minute edge in time of possession.
Such a disparity can be mentally draining and physically taxing, but the defense made six really big plays to erase all of that. In no particular order:
• Cam Heyward getting as hand on a Drake Maye pass that fluttered into the end zone and was intercepted by Brandin Echols.
• Cam Heyward punching the ball out just before RB Rhamondre Stevenson crossed the goal line to create a fumble that Payton Wilson recovered in the end zone.
• Cole Holcomb separating Stevenson from the ball, and Darius Slay recovered to jump start the offense on an 8-play, 46-yard drive for a touchdown on its opening possessions for the second time in 3 games this season.
• T.J. Watt and Jabrill Peppers combined to tackle Stevenson, and when Watt stripped the ball and Peppers recovered the fumble the Steelers had a respite at a time of the game when the Patriots offense held onto the ball for almost 15 minutes over 3 possessions.
• Midway through the fourth quarter of a 14-14 game, and with New England already in field goal range, Nick Herbig strip-sacked Drake Maye and Watt recovered at the Steelers 38-yard line to give the offense the possession it needed to move down the field for the decisive touchdown.
• And the clincher: on fourth-and-1 from the Pittsburgh 28-yard line with 67 seconds left and a 21-14 lead to protect, Echols closed fast on a pass into the flat and made a sure open-field tackle of WR DeMario Douglas for a 1-yard loss to turn the ball over on downs and send the Steelers into victory formation.
"Just our defense, honestly," said Rodgers when asked what gave the Steelers reason to hope during a game the Patriots seemingly were dominating. "There was urgency. I think it was one of those weird, disjointed games where we had three possessions in the first half. We had a chance on the third possession to keep it going … just Pat (Freiermuth) and I weren't on the same page on the scramble drill. Then we sat on the bench for what seemed to be 20 or 30 minutes, so we just couldn't get into a rhythm at all. Then we came out for the second half, and I made a terrible throw (on an interception by Robert Spillane). Defense just kind of stood on their head all day. I thought the first two drives (of the game) were good rhythm-wise, and we couldn't find that rhythm in the second half."
"Stood on their head all day." That's what Tomlin was talking about back on that steamy August day at Saint Vincent College when he used the word "historic" when talking about his defense.
"I say that based on my experience," Tomlin explained about his choice of words. "I've been around some really elite defenses, and I believe we have the makeup to be that. But elite defenses deliver world championships. Elite defenses are on the cover of Sports Illustrated. You know when you're in those neighborhoods knocking on those doors. I simply was saying I think we've got enough of the ingredients that we need to make that a goal of ours and not a dream … And so, we can't run away from expectations; we've got to run to it. And I thoughtfully put that out there, because that's how I feel about it."
It wasn't a prediction. It was a challenge.
On a Sunday in Foxborough, challenge accepted. But understand that real history only will be made by accepting more such challenges in the weeks to come.
