Make a play, win the game. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense wasn’t perfect but got the job done, holding the Tennessee Titans to one touchdown in a 20-16 Thursday night win. And it was LB Kwon Alexander who prevented the Titans from adding any heartbreaking points to win the game. He picked off rookie QB Will Levis on the goal line, thwarting a Titans’ game-winning drive.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Alexander dished about what he saw.
“They just had ran the same play and he threw it, and he dropped it,” he told reporters via the team website. “But I seen how the tight end release, so I knew he was coming behind me. So I just set up under it. Just preparation and studying, man. Just knowing what to do.”
Alexander is referring to the play before when CB Darius Rush, playing the post/middle safety, dropped a would-be interception as Levis threw down the right hash for the tight end. Tennessee went back to its four-verticals call on the ensuing play, looking to get in the end zone with seconds left, but Alexander got under the throw and finished what Rush couldn’t. It was the only turnover of the game between the two sides and proved to be the difference in the outcome.
A bit of a curious decision for the Titans, who still could’ve tried to work the sidelines before taking a shot. Pittsburgh had three defensive backs on the goal line to deny the end zone, but Levis still tried to fit the ball in there twice. Rookie mistakes for a quarterback who played a solid game overall.
Signed a few days into training camp, Alexander has brought an edge and intensity to the locker room. He’s also brought playmaking. Against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he forced a fumble that LB Cole Holcomb recovered. Thursday night, he called game.
“It was a legendary just to get the ball and get it back for the squad and get this win,” he said. “That’s all I wanted.”
Alexander had been playing roughly two-thirds of the Steelers’ snaps this season, most often used in nickel but part of a three-man rotation between himself, Holcomb, and Elandon Roberts. With Holcomb suffering a severe knee injury, Alexander could occupy an every-down role, including playing in dime packages.
He may also wear the defensive green dot and become the team’s central communicator. Not that it’ll be a new task for him. With years of experience and the team’s rotation this year, Alexander has worn the green dot before and throughout 2023. Communication was an issue in this game, and Alexander will be literally and figuratively central to fixing it.
