Overshadowed by offense, Steelers defense rises to occasion against Burrow-less Bengals
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A video posted on the Pittsburgh Steelers social media account Sunday night showed a dance party taking place inside the visiting locker room at Paycor Stadium following a 16-10 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Players young and old were cutting the rug, from elder statesman Cameron Heyward to veteran Elandon Roberts to rookies Keeanu Benton and Nick Herbig.
It was probably coincidence that most Steelers in the video played on the defensive side of the ball. It also was fitting.
While the offense got the props for the progress made in the first game without Matt Canada as offensive coordinator, the Steelers defense had reason to celebrate after putting up its best performance of the season.
The 10 points allowed tied for the fewest yielded through 11 games. The Bengals were held to 10 first downs, the fewest since the Steelers allowed 10 to the New Orleans Saints in the middle of the 2022 season. The 222 total yards allowed also represented the fewest gained on the Steelers this year. Same for the 25 yards rushing.
“Ten points always is a step in the right direction, and 25 yards rushing,” Heyward said. “There were some goals we got, and it was a difference in the game.”
To be fair, the Steelers defense wasn’t tasked with stopping an in-his-prime Tom Brady. Because of Joe Burrow’s season-ending wrist injury, Jake Browning made his first start since his college days at Washington in 2018.
Browning threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Drew Sample to give the Bengals a 7-3 lead in the first half. Otherwise, he had difficulty sustaining drives while being sacked four times and throwing an interception in the third quarter that led to the Steelers’ go-ahead touchdown.
“We did a great job, had a good week of practice,” outside linebacker Alex Highsmith said. “We did a good job of getting off the field when we needed to. We have the desire to get turnovers and make plays and get better week by week.”
In this past two games, the Steelers have allowed 23 points to division rivals Cleveland and Cincinnati. What stung the defense the previous week was how the Browns, with rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson running the offense, moved 48 yards in the final minute en route to a winning field goal.
The way the Steelers lost the 13-10 decision at Cleveland was overshadowed two days later by Canada’s firing.
“To be able to bounce back after a loss shows the resiliency of this group,” said outside linebacker T.J. Watt, who notched two more sacks to take over the NFL lead with 13 1/2. “We could have made a lot of excuses this week. I’m really proud of us for sticking together. To get back on track feels good.”
For the fourth game in a row, the Steelers played without All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick because of his hamstring injury. Fellow safety Keanu Neal is on injured reserve as are two starting inside linebackers who will miss the rest of the season.
Former practice squad player Trenton Thompson started at safety, and midseason signee Mykal Walker started alongside Roberts at inside linebacker. Thompson had the momentum-changing interception, and Walker tied for second on the team with five tackles.
“Different guys stepping up in different situations,” said Heyward, who had a sack among his four tackles.
Although the Bengals didn’t have their star quarterback, they did have top receiver Ja’Marr Chase and three-time 1,000-yard rusher Joe Mixon on the field. Chase had four receptions for 81 yards, but two of the catches were on tipped balls that could have been interceptions.
The Steelers expected the Bengals to lean heavily on Mixon, but he got just eight carries for 16 yards, his least productive game since 2019. Whenever the Bengals brought in an extra blocker, the Steelers countered with a fourth down lineman, and Mixon never found any traction.
“It was gang-tackling and guys being in the right gaps,” Heyward said. “It speaks to the work we did in practice, and we were very sound in our approach.”
By stopping the running game, the Steelers put the focus on Browning. The Bengals’ lone touchdown came on a drive that was set up by a 45-yard kickoff return. With Browning facing constant pressure, the Bengals converted 2 of 10 third-down opportunities. Conversely, the Steelers converted eight times on third down and possessed the ball for nearly 37 minutes.
“We spent a lot of time on the bench,” Watt said, “and that’s huge for a defense.”