As the Terrible Towels twirled at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, forcing the Falcons into a silent count, quarterback Kirk Cousins sent tight end Ross Dwelley in motion. Just when the tight end was about the cross the center, the ball was snapped. It bounced off Dwelley and ricocheted to the turf.
There was T.J. Watt, ready to pounce.
“Steeler Nation is incredible,” Watt said after the game. “The fumble that I was able to land on was because they had to be on a silent count at their own place. Anytime that happens, when you have shifts and motions, snaps can go anywhere.”
The third-quarter fumble recovery was just one play on a day full of splash for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game-wrecking edge rusher. In addition to jumping on the loose ball, Watt recorded two tackles for loss, three QB hits and a sack. His stat line could have been even better if he hadn’t been called offsides on a play in which he strip-sacked Cousins and recovered the ball himself. Watt said after the game that the official admitted he made a mistake. An illegal-hands-to-the-face call also wiped out another fumble forced by Watt.
After sealing the game with his sack, Watt fittingly took a bow.
Take a bow @_TJWatt 😁#EasyToCelebrate | @Budlight pic.twitter.com/rwVK3IQbyk
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 8, 2024
“T.J. Watt always delivers when it gets thick,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “We don’t take that for granted.”
While Watt’s performance changed the game and allowed the Steelers to escape with a victory on an afternoon the offense failed to score a touchdown, really, that’s nothing new from a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
What is new? The two others responsible for turnovers: safety DeShon Elliott and cornerback Donte Jackson.
Jackson was acquired this offseason in the Diontae Johnson trade and Elliott signed with the Steelers as a free agent. Both reeled in interceptions.
“Their veteran presence was evident,” Tomlin said. “They’re new to us, but they’re not new to the NFL. I love their game-day demeanor. They were communicative. They played with great energy. They were helpful to each other and others. That’s just stuff that you get from veteran players.”
While Watt will always be Watt, if the new pieces like Jackson and Elliott can continue to perform at a high level, there’s reason to believe this defense should be better than the one that finished sixth in scoring defense last season.
Consider that last season, two of the weakest links on defense were at strong safety and at the corner position opposite Joey Porter Jr. Last year’s strong safety, Keanu Neal, stylistically seemed like a fit. However, when he went down with an injury, that position group turned into a revolving door. Partially as a result, Minkah Fitzpatrick was forced to play in the box more than he ever had in his career and thus failed to record a turnover in any form.
In that way, Elliott’s mere presence, as a stout 210-pound safety, should have a ripple effect that allows Fitzpatrick to play more as the post safety, where he can sit back as a ballhawk. That alone has value. Now, if Elliott, who recorded four tackles and defended two passes, is also creating takeaways? That’s intriguing to think about.
Similarly, at the cornerback position, the Steelers leaned on veteran Patrick Peterson last season. While he’s worthy of respect as a possible future Hall of Famer, he was also 33 years old last season and showed signs of it. His lost step was one of the reasons the Steelers struggled to limit explosive passing plays last year.
By contrast, speed has been Jackson’s calling card after he ran a 4.32 at the 2018 NFL combine. At different points in his career, he has been asked to be the No. 1 corner responsible for shutting down the opponent’s top receiver. Because Porter often has that role, Jackson will have the benefit of more advantageous matchups. He also has proved in his career he can be a playmaker, as that interception was the 15th of his career.
ACTION JACKSON 🎬
📲 Stream on NFL+: https://t.co/COxKRnr6Mc pic.twitter.com/DOq1Ls1MDU
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 8, 2024
“We’ve got a lot of speed on this defense, as you guys have seen,” Watt said. “A lot of playmakers. A lot of offseason acquisitions. A lot of guys growing from Year 1 to Year 2, etc., etc. We just have a fun defense to be a part of right now.”
Beyond just the turnovers they produced, the additions of Jackson and Elliott — to go along with the remade inside linebacker room — can also benefit the Steelers from a schematic perspective in several ways.
For example, tight ends have often been an issue for the Steelers over their recent history. Because of the upgrades at safety and inside linebacker (Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson), the Steelers now have more options when it comes to deciding how they’ll try to defend that position.
On many instances Sunday, Elliott was part of the solution there. Even though Kyle Pitts was responsible for the Falcons’ lone touchdown, that was a miscommunication more than a personnel mismatch. Largely, the Steelers held Pitts in check, limiting him to three catches for 26 yards. There’s reason to believe they have personnel better equipped to handle the tight end and also more options to mix things up and put the offense on its heels, whether that’s using one of their many safeties on a tight end or one of their rangy inside linebackers.
Also on Sunday, Tomlin talked after the game about how Cousins is dangerous against the blitz and against five-man pressures. Pittsburgh wanted to rush just four as much as possible. Some of that meant dropping Alex Highsmith into coverage in the Steelers’ base defense, which becomes a five-man front when the outside linebackers in the 3-4 walk down to the line of scrimmage.
The other part of creating four-man pressure was the Steelers’ upgrades at inside linebacker should allow them to play more nickel, which features a four-man front, two inside linebackers and five defensive backs. Last season, the Steelers often went into dime (with a safety body type in place of a linebacker) as a way to have a coverage-capable player in the middle of the defense. But now with Wilson and Queen in the fold, the Steelers have two rangy inside linebackers who can match up with running backs or tight ends.
A good example of that came on the opening drive. Wilson appeared to be in man coverage with Bijan Robinson. Instinctive and athletic, Wilson got off his block and made a touchdown-saving tackle against the dynamic running back in the red zone on third down.
Now, it’s only one game. But when you consider the Falcons have a big-money quarterback in Cousins and top-10 picks at running back (Robinson), receiver (Drake London) and tight end (Pitts), this was a dominant effort that should provide optimism the Steelers will be able to once again count on their defense to lead the charge.
“We’re going to come in and we’re going to work like they put 50 on us,” Jackson said. “Just go back to the drawing board and get ready for next week. But it just goes to show you the type of group we have, the type of work we put in and how hungry we are for greatness. We see ourselves being a dominant defense all year. But this is step one. We’ve got to keep climbing.”
(Photo of DeShon Elliott, left, and Donte Jackson: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
