Steelers inside linebackers look to build upon growth made against Ravens
Share this post:
Before Joey Porter Jr.’s interception that changed momentum last Sunday and led to the go-ahead touchdown for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kwon Alexander set the stage with a play that put the Baltimore Ravens in that passing situation.
Alexander’s open-field tackle on tight end Mark Andrews resulted in a 1-yard loss that pushed the ball back to the Steelers 5.
The veteran inside linebacker didn’t bite on Lamar Jackson’s shovel pass to Andrews on second-and-goal and was in proper position to make the tackle. Porter’s interception came on the next play, a fade to the right side of the end zone, and the Steelers followed with a touchdown that provided their first lead in a 17-10 victory.
Alexander’s tackle was illustrative of the way the Steelers inside linebackers played against the Ravens, which was an improvement over the previous week in a 30-6 loss at Houston.
The trio of Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts and Alexander combined for 23 tackles, one sack and four tackles for a loss against the Ravens.
“I think they’re getting better every week, and I thought last week probably as a unit was their best week together,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. “You felt them. They were physical and fast. They made some splash plays. They were all over the field.”
None so more than Alexander, who had six tackles, including three for a loss, and a sack among his 31 snaps. Roberts had eight tackles in 29 snaps. Holcomb, who played 64 of a possible 70 defensive snaps, had nine tackles, including one for a loss.
“That shows where we are and what we can be,” Alexander said.
When the Steelers revamped that position room in the offseason, they brought in two veterans early in free agency, giving Holcomb a three-year deal and Roberts a two-year contract. General manager Omar Khan added a third established player to the group in the first week of training camp when he signed Alexander to a one-year deal.
Alexander’s addition led to questions about how the Steelers would split playing time among three players for two positions — and sometimes just one in subpackages.
Through five weeks, Holcomb has seen the most consistent playing time, logging 85% of the defensive snaps. Alexander has played 55% of the snaps while often subbing for Roberts on passing downs. Roberts has taken 39% of the snaps.
Of equal importance to first-year position coach Aaron Curry is how the three linebackers have accepted their roles.
“I say hat’s off to them and their maturity level,” Curry said. “It’s because they played in the league for so long that they understand that everybody has a skill set that we can use to our advantage. Everybody gets ready for every role, and we let it roll.
“Guys make the best of what they get and don’t worry about what they don’t get.”
Given the number of newcomers to the linebacker room, growing pains were inevitable. The inside linebackers occasionally looked out of position in the season-opening 30-7 loss to San Francisco. The results weren’t pretty against the Texans, either, when the Steelers had difficulty not in just stopping the run but also the short passes and screens thrown at them.
Coach Mike Tomlin had his players begin the week by practicing in pads. Coincidence or not, the Steelers had just one missed tackle in stopping the run against the Ravens compared to eight the previous week. The missed tackles overall dropped from 14 to seven.
The best work against Baltimore came in the second half. The Steelers limited the Ravens to 25 yards rushing after giving up 100 before intermission.
“I thought in our whole room, everybody played awesome,” Holcomb said. “I was telling guys in the locker room, ‘That was fun.’ That was like being a little kid (type of) fun. … Everybody was making plays. It’s fun when everybody makes plays.”
It’s the type of defensive play the inside linebackers in particular and the Steelers defense in general hopes to use as a springboard next weekend against the Los Angeles Rams.
“That’s really what we kind of envisioned when we got those three guys, that all three of them would do a great job for us in their particular roles,” Austin said. “I thought last week was a sign of that growth.”