Donte Jackson just did something for the Pittsburgh Steelers we have rarely seen in the past two decades. With his fifth interception on Sunday, he became just the third player in team history since Troy Polamalu to record five interceptions in a season. And he is one more away from tying Minkah Fitzpatrick with the most interceptions since Polamalu.
The Hall of Famer, Troy Polamalu twice intercepted seven passes in a single season. He is the only Steelers player since Willie Williams in 1995 to record seven or more in a season. Outside of Polamalu, only Fitzpatrick and Rod Woodson have reached six. Jackson now joins Joe Haden in the group with five, a list spanning four names in the past two decades
The Steelers acquired Donte Jackson via trade from the Carolina Panthers this offseason in exchange for WR Diontae Johnson. The Panthers have since traded Johnson again, but Jackson has made himself indispensable to the Steelers.
Of their 25 takeaways this season, Donte Jackson is responsible for six of them, nearly one-third. While he has been an opportunistic defender, he has been solid overall as well. Not without his imperfections, he is a willing tackler in spite of occasional lapses. But you would certainly take those trade-offs for the volume of takeaways he has managed to produce. As he said yesterday, he tends to do that a lot.
While Jackson is nowhere near any Steelers records for takeaways, he can certainly move up the list. With five games left to play, there is a reasonable chance he adds one or two more to his total. In addition to his five interceptions, he has a fumble recovery. If he records two more takeaways, he will have the most in a season by a Steelers player since Polamalu in 2010. And if he manages three more, it would be the most since Rod Woodson in 1996.
In a year in which the Steelers are still waiting for their first takeaway from Minkah Fitzpatrick, they have greatly benefited from the contributions of new faces. Not only does Donte Jackson have six takeaways, but DeShon Elliott has four, Beanie Bishop Jr. three. Another rookie, Payton Wilson, now has three takeaways, including a defensive touchdown. Patrick Queen also has one. Out of the Steelers’ 25 takeaways, 18 have come from those new to the team this year. That includes WR Ben Skowronek recovering a muffed punt on special teams.
But nobody has created more of a difference than Donte Jackson with his six takeaways. Not used to the pleasures of winning, having spent most of his career in Carolina, he certainly is taking to Pittsburgh well. His nine wins this year is already two more than he ever experienced with the Panthers.
This was not only Mike Tomlin’s 18th consecutive winning season, it was also a first for Jackson. He experienced a 15-loss season last year, which may be as many losses as he sees in his entire Steelers career. And somehow, his play seems to be reflecting the joy of winning. Maybe when you feel like you actually have something to play for, you push more.
