On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Minnesota Vikings 24-21 in Dublin, Ireland. They received a much-needed boost on defense from SS DeShon Elliott, who returned to the lineup. Elliott missed the past two weeks with an MCL sprain he suffered against the New York Jets in Week 1. Elliott recorded six total tackles (four solo), one sack, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, two pass deflections, and one interception. He made a splash in nearly every facet of the game for Pittsburgh’s defense.
THE FILM
While the Steelers undoubtedly appreciated Elliott’s splash plays, his consistency as an open-field tackler cannot be ignored. Watch the clips below of Elliott coming downhill or across the field to make the stop. The second clip shows him bringing down RB Jordan Mason for what could’ve been a house call as he was 1-on-1 with S Chuck Clark. There was no one else in sight to catch him should Mason have made Clark miss in space.
Elliott’s pursuit as a run defender pops off the screen when watching tape. He shows great acceleration to the ball and aggressiveness to bring the ball carrier down. Watch this rep as Elliott chases down Mason, attempting to get to the sideline. He gets on his horse to wrap him up high, as LB Patrick Queen grabs him by the ankles to drop him.
Elliott is more than willing to take on blocks and sift through trash, pursuing the football. As you can see in the clip below, he fights through the block of WR Jordan Addison to tackle Mason on a run up the middle.
When Elliott is untouched, he can get to the ball quickly and make stops in the backfield. This clip below, versus Mason, shows Elliott flying in from the right corner of the screen to get to the football.
Elliott’s interception of QB Carson Wentz came on this play below. Elliott reads Wentz’s eyes as he targets Addison over the middle. He smartly turns back to the football on a stop route, jumps the route, and steps in front of Addison for the pick. Elliott gets back up and attempts to return the turnover, only to slip down and fall. Still, snagging the turnover was huge for Pittsburgh’s defense, setting up the offense with another drive.
Elliott’s physicality also came out in pass coverage as he looked to separate man from ball on this rep, coming downhill as the receiver attempts to make the catch. The intended target bobbled the ball first, but Elliott did a great job playing through the rep and making sure he didn’t have a second chance at the catch by planting him into the grass.
Elliott’s final play helped call the game for the Steelers, hence why our very own Alex Kozora named Elliott a winner in his weekly winners and losers article after the game. Here, Elliott is playing deep in coverage and manages to step in front of Addison to deflect the fourth-down pass by Wentz. This breakup kept Minnesota out of field goal range. Elliott nearly snagged his second interception of the game.
DeShon Elliott made an impact in his return to the lineup, not only in the splash play department but also with his physicality and effort. It’s no wonder that Pittsburgh’s best defensive performance of the season coincided with Elliott’s return. He is a stabilizing force in the secondary, playing near the line of scrimmage and contributing heavily in run support. With him, Pittsburgh held Minnesota to 70 yards on 20 rush attempts.
Elliott and the rest of this defense have the opportunity to get healthier as Pittsburgh enters the bye week. The team is sitting at 3-1, a record that most would have signed up for to start the season. As names like Alex Highsmith and Joey Porter Jr. return to the lineup, expect this defense to play better. As he was last year, Elliott will be a key cog contributing to this unit’s success.
