The Pittsburgh Steelers have employed a "bend, don't break" defense during the 2024 season. This means they allow the opponent to move the ball, but limit scoring. This method made them the top defense in the league early in the season. Unfortunately, some key injuries, like the one to Alex Highsmith, have hampered them.
While they might not be as dominant as expected for the highest-paid defense in the league, they are still among the top units. They had three takeaways in Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders. They held Vegas to 2-for-11 on third downs and only allowed an average of 4.6 yards per play.
T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Cameron Heyward have been the backbone of this smashmouth defense. They have been accompanied by various new and hungry players like Patrick Queen, DeShon Elliott, and Donte Jackson. According to former NFL offensive lineman Brian Baldinger, in a Baldy's Breakdown, the Steelers employ a defensive system that is decades old and highly successful.
"The Steelers and the Raiders play, there is history involved. The ghosts of Chuck Noll and John Madden, whether you're at Three Rivers or you're at the Death Star. You wanna run toss? Then, beat the blocks. Jeremiah Moon is beating the block, Cam Heyward beating the block, everybody's beating the block. That's as old as Chuck Noll. There's history involved here, and that's how they played this game."
Pittsburgh's defense once again got off to a slow start, allowing the Raiders to drive down the field and score on their opening possession. However, they managed to batten down the hatches after that, holding the Raiders to only 13 points and getting three takeaways.
After the game, Watt said Heyward was unhappy with that opening drive, and he went off on the players, insisting they tighten up. Baldinger wasn't surprised by that and bragged about Heyward's remarkable shutdown of Raiders' rookie left guard Jackson Powers-Johnson.
"Cam Heyward, look, he probably doesn't know Jackson Powers-Johnson, but he knows he's a rookie and doesn't like rookies. So he sets up him, and T.J. cleans him up. Here's this rookie; look at this: Cam Heyward put him on the ground. Big boy football right here. You know why he 's lining up inside? Because he's going to smack the rookie left guard right here and go right around him. It's a smack-smack, smack-smack. Cam Heyward doesn't like rookies. He might not even know them. He just doesn't like 'em. It's just a fact of life. He probably might respect them, but he doesn't like them. When he sees a rookie in front of him, he knows what to do. It's not personal. Welcome them to the league right here."
The Steelers know Powers-Johnson well through their pre-draft evaluation of centers. They ended up selecting Zach Frazier, who was injured during this game, and the Raiders have moved Powers-Johnson's position.
Steelers' Cameron Heyward Silencing The Critics
Before the start of the 2024 season, Heyward asked the Steelers for a contract extension, hoping to be a one-helmet player. Many fans resisted this idea, feeling that at 35 and coming off an injury, Heyward was too risky.
The narrative that he was an injury-riddled old man circulated social media, and the frustration, understandably so, for Heyward was growing. He pushed back against fans on social media and ultimately signed a three-year $45 million deal to keep him in black and gold.
It has proven to be a solid investment, and Heyward surely feels vindicated now. With his sack in the Raiders game, he has three sacks and 25 tackles this season. His Pro Football Focus score of 91.1 has him among the top defensive ends in the league.
