The common thread among the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Super Bowl-winning teams is strong defensive play. The 1970s groups were some of the greatest defenses of all time. According to some, the 2008 group that won Super Bowl XLIII against the Arizona Cardinals is also in the running for one of the best defenses of all time, leading the NFL in several key statistics like points per game, yards per game, completion percentage allowed, and many others.
Those were some of Mike Tomlin’s early years as the Steelers’ head coach. Now 18 seasons into his tenure, one Steelers insider believes the 2024 defense could end up going down as Tomlin’s very best.
“Pretty hard to dispute through those three games and what they were able to do,” Mark Kaboly said via 93.7 The Fan’s Joe Starkey Show earlier today. “I love that 2010 team, but that 2008 team defense was probably better, in my opinion. 2009, too. I mean, eight, nine, 10 were pretty spectacular defenses. But I mean, to me, I think they have more talent, raw talent on this side of the defense than they had [on] these other teams that we’re talking about here.
“So, yeah. I mean, I think this could very well go down as his best defense right now because they have stars in every location right now and they got depth, too…So yeah, they’re in the conversation as we speak right now.”
They acknowledged that it was obviously too early to make any bold proclamations, but the host specifically wanted him to answer the question regardless of that caveat. That being said, it is a pretty bold claim to compare any defense to the 2008 group, let alone one that is only three games into the season.
Let’s take a look at some of the major statistics from the 2008 defense and compare them to what the Steelers are doing in the present day.
Points Per Game
2008: 13.9
2024: 8.7
Advantage: 2024
Total Yards Per Game
2008: 237.2
2024: 229.7
Advantage: 2024
Rushing Yards Per Game
2008: 80.3
2024: 71.3
Advantage: 2024
Passing Yards Per Game
2008: 156.9
2024: 158.3
Advantage: 2008
This isn’t to try to paint the picture that the 2024 Steelers defense is better. Unless and until they are hoisting a Lombardi Trophy after proving they are the best throughout an entire season, that will not be the case. But it gives some perspective on just how special the early statistics are for this defense and what the Steelers can accomplish if they keep it up.
