Back when the Kansas City Chiefs had both Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, it presented matchup nightmares for opposing defenses having to try and shut down both receiving threats with QB Patrick Mahomes throwing the ball. The Chiefs remain a potent offense without Hill and Hill enjoyed a great first season in Miami, but the combination of Kelce and Hill presented one of the best duos in the league for a long period of time that was nearly impossible to stop.
David Kenyon of Bleacher Report published a piece naming his top seven NFL duos of the last decade, having Mahomes and Kelce at #2 on the list. Two Steelers duos cracked the top five with WR Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell at #5 while DL Cameron Heyward and OLB T.J. Watt landed at #4.
“The first of two tandems from the Pittsburgh Steelers features a couple of fascinating careers,” Kenyon wrote. “Bell emerged as one of the NFL’s most productive backs and showcased a stellar mix of vision and patience. He amassed 7,996 scrimmage yards and earned three AP All-Pro honors in five seasons with Pittsburgh. Brown simultaneously enjoyed the prime of his career. During their five shared years, AB averaged a truly absurd 116.4 catches for 1,569.6 yards and 10.4 touchdowns. He tallied All-Pro recognition in each season and top-three finishes in Offensive Player of the Year voting three times.”
Many Steelers fans will turn to the off-the-field antics from Bell and Brown which eventually resulted in their departure from Pittsburgh. But when the two were on the field together, they presented probably the best skill position duo in the league for several seasons. Bell was a dual-threat running back, having the size and running style to carry the load as a rusher while possessing the skill set to catch 80 balls and spilt out like a wide receiver in the formation. Meanwhile, Brown was arguably the best WR in football for over half a decade, routinely winning against the best DBs in the game while finding ways to defeat bracket coverage and make highlight reel after highlight reel catch.
“Heyward, who joined the Steelers in 2011, has played alongside Watt since 2017. And it’s been an incredible run,” Kenyon wrote. “Because he’s an interior player, Heyward might not be as recognizable. However, opponents have long feared the lineman with 396 tackles, 53.5 sacks and four AP All-Pro honors in the last six seasons. Watt plays a splashier position and has a familiar name because of his brother, J.J. Watt. But the younger Watt is a superstar on his own. The edge-rusher has generated 333 tackles with 77.5 sacks, winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 with two more top-three finishes and landing All-Pro status three times.”
Heyward has quietly been one of the best interior defenders in football the past decade, not often getting the publicity of player like Aaron Donald or Chris Jones but making a similar contribution on the field. A strong run defender, Heyward wins with brute strength when stopping the run as well as rushing the passer, possessing a long-arm move that is difficult to stop. He should be arguably a Hall of Famer when he decides to hang it up and is on pace to surpass James Harrison as Pittsburgh’s all-time sack leader.
That honor may be short-lived for Heyward as T.J. Watt figures to demolish that record given his blistering pace since entering the league in 2017. He is a game-wrecker who can single-handedly affect the outcome of games for the Steelers. We saw his impact in 2021 when he won DPOY, having 3+ sack games against the Bears, Ravens, and Browns which all resulted in victories. His presence, or lack thereof, was even more felt this past season when he missed time due to a pec injury. Pittsburgh went 1-6 in the games Watt missed compared to 8-2 in the games that Watt played in 2022.
