The injury bug has bitten the Pittsburgh Steelers plenty through the first three weeks of the season. That happened again on Sunday, with Darius Slay going down for some time with an injury. Newcomer Brandin Echols ended up getting a lot of run and responded with massive plays.
Speaking after Sunday’s win, Mike Tomlin had plenty of praise for Echols and his performance.
“He’s real solid, but he’s been real solid throughout this whole process,” Tomlin said via the team’s YouTube channel. “Team development and so forth. He made some big plays today, the interception, the fourth-down tackle. He was engaged in the game. He’s a good teammate and I’m glad we got him.”
Echols saw a big workload, one heavier than he’s seen so far this season. He made an impact with those snaps. Late in the first half, the Patriots were driving and ate up the last half of the second quarter in one drive. They were on the brink of scoring and tying the game just before halftime, when Echols came up with a massive interception on a pass tipped by Cam Heyward.
Keeping the Patriots out of the end zone was massive there, especially after winning by seven points. However, when the Steelers needed to protect that lead late in the game, Brandin Echols came up big yet again. New England was facing a 4th and 1 on its final drive of the game, needing a touchdown to tie. Echols read the play perfectly, flew downhill and tackled DeMario Douglas behind the sticks to ice the game for Pittsburgh.
The Steelers really needed this performance from Echols. The defense has struggled to stay healthy at every position group, which is part of the reason Echols saw more snaps. When they have been on the field, they just haven’t done a great job in coverage. Pittsburgh struggled to keep up with any of New England’s receivers for most of the game. They might not win the game at all without these two plays from Echols.
While it’s still a talented cornerback room, Echols is certainly throwing his hat in the ring. Joey Porter Jr. and Slay have now both dealt with injuries. While Jalen Ramsey has played well, Pittsburgh still needs someone to step up. Brandin Echols did exactly that in their win on Sunday.Â
