It's now a defensive season for a team who had no defense
The end of the fourth quarter in New England was alarming. The entire Steelers team walked off after their worst performance in years, and through one week the entire NFL gave up on many things inside the Pittsburgh locker room.
By the time the buzzer sounded in Week 2, the Steelers defense allowed 61 points on the season. As Mason Rudolph lead Pittsburgh to 26 points, it became apparent the struggles were more prominent on the defensive side of the ball.
Then, the Steelers went to San Francisco and something changed. In Minkah Fitzpatrick's debut, the defense forced turnovers. Despite allowing another 24 points, and losing their third game of the season, something clicked. There seemed to be a newfound production level with this unit. Both on the ground and in coverage, the Steelers defense began playing, well.
The Cincinnati Bengals fell within minutes of the opening quarter, and the defense never allowed them back up. It was a near perfect performance from the defensive unit, but against an 0-3 Bengals team, every success the Steelers found came with a grain of salt.
But then Baltimore came to town. An AFC North matchup with one of the most versatile offenses in the NFL. Lamar Jackson brought more than any quarterback in the league, and Mark Ingram showed from day one that he's still one of the best runners in football.
Heading into Week 5, the Ravens averaged 205 rushing yards per game. The Steelers were allowing 122 rushing yard per game. And with a quarterback like Jackson, it was pretty obvious why Pittsburgh's biggest concern, prior to last Sunday, was stopping the run.
With a healthy Vince Williams, a more comfortable Devin Bush, and a front seven that's dominated since Week 3, the Steelers allowed, well, 138 yards. On paper, it's not a number that stands out, but for those 138 yards, the Ravens needed to run the ball 40 times. Averaging only 3.5 yards per carry, and unable to produce much outside of Jackson's 70 rushing yards, Baltimore's ground game wasn't the deciding factor in Week 5.
Through the air, the Steelers accumulated three of their six interceptions on the season. Half of the 12 turnovers they've produced since Week 1.
But what happened Sunday goes beyond the defensive side of the ball. After Mason Rudolph left Heinz Field, something became very apparent - the Steelers' success was now in the hands of the defense.
Devlin Hodges played well for a third-string quarterback. He poised himself with confidence, and made accurate throws and big plays when he needed to. But no matter how well a backup plays, there's always a considerable adjustment that needs to be made. When it's the quarterback position, that adjustment is even bigger.
Losing two QBs has set this offense on a crash course. It doesn't mean they're not going to play well, but it does mean turning this season around is no longer on their shoulders. If Pittsburgh is going to somehow pull themselves out of this rut, they're going to do so through their defense.
Terrell Edmunds summed it up best, saying, "regardless of the situation, we know we just got to put them [the offense] in the best situation."
The revolving theme in Pittsburgh is, "10 first-round picks on defense." That may finally be showing as the pieces to this puzzle begin to click. And for a group of players who couldn't stop either side of an offensive attack the first two weeks of the season - two weeks that allowed everyone to declare this defense a bust - this team is now in their hands.
Mason Rudolph or Duck Hodges, it doesn't matter. The Pittsburgh Steelers' season will be determined by Keith Butler and the defense, and they're good enough to keep hope alive.
