Youth is served for Steelers' defense in dominant performance against Colts

For a defense that was criticized by national pundits for being old and slow, the Pittsburgh Steelers turned back the clock Sunday in a 27-20 victory against the Indianapolis Colts.

With members of the Super Bowl XL champions on hand for a 20-year reunion — a group that finished top five in fewest points and yards allowed — the Steelers put on a performance reminiscent of those Blitzburgh days.

The Steelers produced six takeaways — the franchise’s most in a game in 15 seasons — with the defense forcing five of those turnovers. They also sacked Indianapolis quarterback Daniel Jones five times.

Some of the usual suspects from the NFL’s highest-paid defense were responsible for the rebound from a two-week stretch in which the Steelers allowed 68 points and 924 yards. Cameron Heyward batted down two passes, T.J. Watt had a momentum-changing strip sack and fumble recovery, Alex Highsmith had two sacks and forced fumble and Jalen Ramsey provided a steadying hand on a beat-up secondary by playing exclusively at free safety.

Not to be overlooked, though, were contributions from players still on their rookie contracts. Inside linebacker Payton Wilson, outside linebacker Jack Sawyer, defensive linemen Keeanu Benton and Derrick Harmon and cornerback Joey Porter had impactful moments against the NFL’s hottest offense.

“It was a collective effort,” Heyward said in the winning locker room. “When there are plays to be made, guys stepped up, and we need that for the entire season. It’s not going to be one guy. It’s not going to be two. It’s a collective. I’m happy we got it done today, but it’s going to be required week-in and week-out.”

The Steelers entered the season with the NFL’s second-oldest roster. On defense, they have six starters or contributors at least 30 years old. That includes Heyward, 36; Darius Slay, 34; Ramsey, 31; Watt, 31; Chuck Clark, 30; and Juan Thornhill, 30. Clark missed the game Sunday with an injury, and Thornhill was limited to special teams duty.

The contributions from the less-experienced members of the roster provided optimism as the Steelers enter the second half of the NFL season with a 5-3 record and two-game lead in the AFC North race.

Wilson had a game worthy of player of the week consideration. He had 13 tackles, an interception, two pass breakups and another tackle on special teams. Porter had eight tackles, an interception, four pass breakups and was credited with a sack when he forced Jones out of bounds for no gain.

Benton, from his nose tackle spot, had five tackles, a sack and two quarterback hits. Harmon had two tackles and a fumble recovery. Sawyer intercepted a pass that Wilson batted into the air.

“There’s a lot of room to improve, which honestly is a scary thing,” Wilson said. “We have to put it on the field. As Cam says, we can’t ride the wave. We have to be consistent.”

Wilson, a third-round draft pick in 2024, is starting to display such consistency. A week earlier, he led the Steelers with eight tackles in a 35-25 loss to Green Bay. What makes his play the past two games particularly impressive is that he has played just two-thirds of all defensive snaps.

“It’s a reasonable expectation, a second-year player who played a lot last year making some plays,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “It’s a natural progression when you’ve got a good relationship with the game, you work the way he works and you have the talent that he has. I don’t think anybody is surprised by the impact and trajectory of his game.”

Wilson’s interception and 14-yard return to the Colts’ 17 set up the Steelers’ second touchdown in a span of two minutes in the second quarter to turn a 7-0 deficit into a 14-7 advantage. With about three minutes left in the third quarter, Wilson got his hands in the air and deflected a pass that landed in the arms of Sawyer, the rookie fourth-rounder from Ohio State. The takeaway led to another touchdown that increased the lead to 24-7 early in the fourth quarter.

His NFL career is just eight games old, but it’s long enough for Sawyer to understand the way the Steelers conduct business.

“It was getting back to who we are and how the Steelers play defense,” he said.

None of the young players understand the so-called Steelers Way as much as Porter, the third-year cornerback who had his best game of the season. His interception at the Steelers’ 39 with 2:44 remaining kept the Steelers’ 10-point lead intact.

Witnessing the display was father Joey, the enforcer of that 2005 defense that helped the Steelers win their fifth Lombardi Trophy.

“My dad was in my ear all week talking about his boys coming to town,” Porter Jr. said. “He said you’ve got to make your dad proud.”

It’s safe to say the entire Steelers defense did.

“We all knew what we had to do and what we were capable of,” Porter Jr. said. “We talked about getting back to that Steel Curtain, that gritty, mean-mouth football we’re trying to get back and find. We’re looking for that and finding it slowly.”