Pittsburgh Steelers: Defense Answers Criticism With Takeaways
Pittsburgh leads the AFC with 16 takeaways and its defense forced six turnovers in a 27-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. The upset win halted a two-game losing streak for the Steelers (5-3), who hold a two-game lead over the second-place Ravens (3-5) in the division.
The Steelers had given up 68 total points in their two previous games, and their defense faced heavy criticism all week as they prepared to face the Colts (7-2). Pittsburgh’s defense responded with an opportunistic performance that also produced five sacks.
“This was a statement game for us,” cornerback Joey Porter Jr. said via Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com. “As a defense, we didn’t like what we put out on film the last two weeks. We had to come out and make a point, and I think we did today.”
Colts quarterback Daniel Jones had been red hot entering the game, but he struggled against the Steelers’ relentless pressure, throwing three interceptions and losing two fumbles.
Jalen Ramsey moved from corner and played exclusively at safety for Pittsburgh with former Ravens safety DeShon Elliott (knee) out of the lineup, and the secondary responded. Porter thinks the Steelers are finding their defensive identity.
“We were really just talking about going back to that Steel Curtain, that gritty, that mean-mouth football that [we’re] trying to get back and trying to find,” Porter said. “We’re looking for that, and we’re finding that slowly.”