The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense was expected to start fast Sunday against the New York Jets in the season opener and show just how dominant it can be this season, especially with some of the big-name players added to the mix.
It was anything but that inside MetLife Stadium though.
The Steelers struggled to stop the run, couldn’t find a way to get to Justin Fields in the pocket, and played some really sloppy football for much of the game. Until the end. Late in the game a pair of plays by Jalen Ramsey — a pass breakup on Garrett Wilson along the sideline, and then a huge hit on Wilson on fourth down to force an incompletion — helped lift the Steelers to a thrilling 34-32 win over the Jets.
For veteran outside linebacker Alex Highsmith the defensive performance was not up to standard despite the victory.
“Yeah, I mean, we finished the game the way we wanted to making two big stops on those last couple drives. But obviously, that’s not the standard for our defense,” Highsmith told reporters, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “We got punched in the mouth to come out the gate, and that’s not the standard for us. We gotta get in the lab, gotta digest this film. We gotta come out and play more physical from the jump. We got the W, but it obviously wasn’t good enough from our part.”
Right out of the gate the Steelers had no answers for the Jets’ run game. On the first snap from scrimmage, New York running back Breece Hall raced 18 yards. He finished the game with 107 rushing yards on 19 carries and added another two catches for 38 yards, including a 33-yard catch-and-run.
Justin Fields carved up the Steelers, too, rushing 12 times for 48 yards and a touchdown, giving the Jets a lead in the fourth quarter. He was also a master at avoiding pressure and sacks, giving the Steelers fits throughout the game.
The real concern is the Steelers got punched in the mouth up front and never really had an answer in their first real game following some ugly play against the run in an AFC Wild Card loss to the Baltimore Ravens last January. The Jets rushed for 182 yards and three touchdowns on just 32 carries, a healthy 4.7 yards per carry.
But when it mattered most, the Steelers’ defense strapped in and made stops.
One stop helped get the ball back for Aaron Rodgers and the offense, leading to Chris Boswell’s career-long 60-yard field goal, and the second stop won the game thanks to Ramsey’s hit.
It certainly wasn’t a pretty performance though. For the highest-paid defense in the league, frustration with the performance has to be high. They have a week to correct it with Seattle rolling into town next Sunday for the home opener. We’ll see if the Steelers’ defense can meet the standard in that one.
