The defensive front, particularly the pass rush, is under quite a bit of fire currently for the Pittsburgh Steelers, especially after a quiet showing against the Cleveland Browns in a tough Week 12 loss on Thursday Night Football.
Despite that quiet showing though, one that has many pundits wanting the Steelers to change things up and do something different along the defensive line when it comes to rushing the passer, Pro Football Focus still believes the Steelers not only have the best defensive line in football, but also the league’s best pass rush, too.
The Steelers’ defensive line ranked No. 1 in the NFL entering Week 13 from PFF’s John Kosko, thanks to an 89.9 overall grade, which was far and away better than the No. 2 defensive line in the NFL, that being the Philadelphia Eagles at 79.9 overall.
“After generally containing Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry in Week 11, the Browns’ offensive line provided the boost the top-ranked defensive line needed to get back on track. The Steelers’ defensive line graded as the second-best unit of the week with an 80.1 overall grade, led by Nick Herbig’s 93.2 overall grade in the game,” Kosko writes regarding the Steelers’ defensive line. “On the season, T.J. Watt’s 92.7 overall grade is the best in the NFL (excluding Aidan Hutchinson), while Cameron Heyward, Herbig, and Alex Highsmith all boast grades better than 87.2.
“No defensive line has as much star power as the Steelers in 2024.”
On paper, the Steelers are very clearly the best defensive line in football, especially when you include the likes of outside linebackers T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig. Add those three into the defensive line of Cameron Heyward, Keeanu Benton and Larry Ogunjobi, and it’s clear just how good the Steelers’ defensive line is.
So far this season, the Steelers have one of the best run defenses in football, sitting fourth in the NFL in rushing yards per game allowed at just 90.3, behind only the Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs. On top of that, the Steelers have the fourth-best defense in the NFL from a points per game perspective, allowing just 16.9 points per game, behind only the Los Angeles Chargers, Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos.
The defensive line has been a point of criticism lately though, do to some struggles generating a consistent pass rush in recent weeks, especially in Week 12 against the Browns, and struggling in short-yardage situations to stop the run and get off the field.
Overall though, they remain an outstanding group with Heyward having a terrific year bouncing back from injury, while Ogunjobi and Benton have been sound pieces in the trenches. On the outside, Watt has been a play-maker once again, while Highsmith has struggled with injuries. But when he’s healthy, Highsmith is a force opposite Watt.
Same for Herbig, who just has a knack for making splash plays in big spots, much like his mentor in Watt.
From a pass rush perspective, PFF still believes the Steelers are the best pass rush, too, even though they don’t lead the league in sacks. However, they do have the league’s best pass rush grade at 90.3, ahead of the Eagles at 86.9.
“There’s really no surprise here, as the Steelers’ pass-rushing unit virtually has no weaknesses,” Kosko writes of the Steelers’ pass rush unit. “Herbig’s 92.0 grade is the best on the team, and Heyward’s is next-best with an elite 90.0. Meanwhile, Keeanu Benton’s 82.0 pass-rush grade is the fifth-best on the team.
“The unit as a whole has a 52.3% pass-rush win rate, second-best in the NFL, plus the most batted passes in the NFL at 16.”
Time and time again, the Steelers find a way to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks, oftentimes with just four-man rushes. That pass rush has been led by the likes of Heyward, Watt, Highsmith and Herbig, and has been quite good throughout the season, even with a rough patch against the Browns.
The fact that guys like Highsmith and Herbig are performing opposite Watt, even with all the attention paid to Watt, is encouraging, too.
The Steelers have a truly elite pass rush that is going to win more often than not. That much is clear. Hopefully it continues throughout backend of a tough schedule.
