The Pittsburgh Steelers defense did a lot of bending during yesterday’s win over the Green Bay Packers. Fortunately, they didn’t often break, and in the second half, they made the plays that were missing in the first. They allowed two touchdowns on third and long in the first 30 minutes. They picked the ball off twice in the red zone with under four minutes to play.
The first was just as critical as the second. Up four with 3:32 to play, QB Jordan Love took a shot into the end zone from the 14 on 2nd and 9 to Christian Watson. CB Patrick Peterson had good underneath coverage and batted the ball—up, purposefully. And it landed into the waiting arms of S Keanu Neal.
“I did not intentionally tip it to him, but I knew we had a half-field high safety”, the veteran cornerback said of his decision not to bat the ball down but rather pop it up to keep it in play, via Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “That’s why I didn’t swat it down. I put some air on it so someone could come up and get it”.
“I was tipping it to somebody. I just didn’t know what safety was there. I knew one of my guys was going to be there”, he continued, as picked up by Mark Kaboly of The Athletic. It was going to be either Neal or Damontae Kazee. It happened to be Neal that time. Kazee got his interception on the final play of the game. Not bad minus All-Pro S Minkah Fitzpatrick.
That was interceptions 9 and 10 on the season, those balls well interspersed throughout the defense. Kazee is tied for the team lead with two along with Levi Wallace. Peterson, Neal, Joey Porter Jr. Kwon Alexander, Alex Highsmith, and T.J. Watt all have one as well. The unit also has eight fumble recoveries, including three by Watt and two by Kazee.
“We are very opportunist. We find ways to make plays”, Peterson went on in explaining how crucial takeaways are to their success as a unit. “We preach about getting the ball out, and we have to have it. That’s just the coaching around here. We find ways to make those timely plays”.
The defense ended that game with the Kazee interception in the red zone with three seconds to play. A week earlier, it was Alexander’s interception of Titans QB Will Levis on 3rd and 5 from the 19 with 11 seconds to play. Watt closed out the win over the Ravens with a fourth-down sack. Wallace’s interception ended the Raiders’ hopes back in Week Three.
And the strip sack by Highsmith, recovered by Watt for a touchdown, gave the Steelers a lead against the Browns in Week Two they would not relinquish, with Porter closing out the game with tight coverage on fourth down to force a turnover on downs.
Timely plays, either on possession downs or taking possession away. The only game they haven’t sweated out was against the Los Angeles Rams. In almost all of their other wins, the opposing offense was driving, and somebody had to step up. On these occasions, they did. And that’s because they play as a unit with the trust in each other that goes along with it knowing their teammates will be where they need to be.
Like waiting for the rebound in the end zone.
