DB’s Steelers Dudes & Duds: Defense Stands Tall, Tackle Rotation Backfires

The Pittsburgh Steelers never can quite seem how to put inferior teams away but they move to 2-0 with another big road win in the books, defeating the Denver Broncos 13-6. It was another strong performance for the defense which dominated up front and forced Bo Nix to beat them through the air. It’s fair to have some concerns about how inconsistent the offense has played thus far but they’ve gained themselves some breathing room in the AFC North in the meantime.

Dude: WR George Pickens

I don’t care what the box score says. My eyes tell me that George Pickens continues to dominate through the first two games of the season. To start the game, Pickens got Pat Surtain leaning on a blaze out to convert on third and long. Right before half, he beat him again for a 51-yard strike down the right sideline on a perfectly placed pass from Justin Fields but it was unfortunately called back due to a holding penalty in the backfield. He drew another long pass interference penalty in the third quarter. Through the first two weeks of the season, he’s drawn a pair of really tough assignments and won them both thoroughly. He was quiet in the second half but this is what a WR1 looks like.

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones warms up before a game against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 15, 2024. — Alan Saunders / Steelers Now

Dud: OT Broderick Jones

Oh, boy. Where do we even begin here? The Steelers coaching staff made a very questionable decision to start randomly rotating their tackles in the first half of the game, inserting Jones into the game at right tackle in place of Troy Fautanu who got his first career start. He promptly picked up a trio of penalties. The final holding penalty wiped out a 51-yard gain, forcing the Steelers to punt just a few plays later. Jones entered the NFL as a raw pass protector flushed with traits but not only has there been a noticeable lack of development, now he finds himself on the bench for the foreseeable future without the opportunity to get reps and improve.

Dude: IDL Keeanu Benton

If you’ve been reading anything that I’ve written on this site for the last nine months, you’d know that I was expecting big things from Benton in year two. Today was a very encouraging performance for the Wisconsin product. He had multiple quick wins as a pass rusher in the first half and at least two run stops. Then in the second half, in true Steelers defensive lineman fashion, he ran down a screen play from behind and stopped put the Broncos behind the chains. It seems like a foregone conclusion that Pittsburgh will continue to put more responsibility on his plate this season and he’s more than talented enough to deliver.

Dud: CB Joey Porter Jr.

Porter’s first half was really solid, as he had a nice forced incompletion near the sticks that led to a Broncos punt. Then, it looked like his technique was all over the place, with him picking up three separate penalties. I’ve talked about this a bunch but the penalty flags may always be a thing with his physical brand of ball but he’s gotta recognize how the refs are calling the games. Today, everything was tight. Plus, the more flags he draws, the more of a reputation he’ll garner among the officials which will only mean they’ll scrutinize his every play more and more. Sutton wasn’t a factor which is a good thing but generally speaking, the non-anemic offenses in the NFL are going to make you pay if your corners are taking three penalties.

Dudes: EDGE rushers Alex Highsmith & T.J. Watt

What’s even left to be said about this tandem? Highsmith took it to Garrett Boles, who is a really solid left tackle in this league, notching a sack, several quick wins on the outside track and forcing at least one penalty, though he had a couple of his own as well. Watt registered his second sack of the season and had at least one more pressure that led to an incompletion on third down. Both had multiples tackles in the backfield versus the run in this one. There are very few duos in the NFL that can consistently create as much chaos as these two and the pass rush continues to be the stabilizing force behind a defense that’s off to a hot start.

Dud: Penalties (continued)

This was one of the ugliest games in recent memory which is saying something if you’ve watched these Steelers play in recent years. Mike Tomlin was displeased with the teams nine penalties in the opener and they went the wrong direction in week two, accruing ten more. We’ve already mentioned Jones struggles but Porter picked up three more of his own on the defensive side of the ball but the Broncos just weren’t talented enough to capitalize on them. Pittsburgh’s offense just doesn’t have enough juice to consistently play from behind the sticks. The best way to describe this one was that it was a sloppy performance.

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cory Trice Jr. before a game against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 15, 2024. — Alan Saunders / Steelers Now

Dude: CB Cory Trice

Cornerback depth was a question mark coming into the season because Pittsburgh didn’t have any experience whatsoever behind their starters. Donte Jackson got banged up after an explosive trick play got the Broncos on the door step of scoring their first touchdown of the day. Trice was thrust into action and read Nix’ eyes perfectly, snagging his first career interception. It was definitely an ill-advised throw from the rookie signal caller but what a moment this was for a guy who has missed so much time, including all of his rookie campaign, due to a myriad of injuries. We’re talking about a 10 or 14-point swing in this instance.

Dude: Justin Fields (First Half)

I debated on putting him on this list after the entire operation stalled out completely in the second half but Fields was dynamite in the early portion of this game. The deep ball accuracy unsurprisingly is still a strength, which is a perfect match for Pickens on the outside. He converted a third and long early in the game on a throw outside the numbers to move the chains and added an explosive run scramble with his legs. Early on, he even seemed a bit more comfortable in the quick game area. There were still times where he looked hesitant or his internal clock was seemingly nonexistent but the box score would look a lot better if it weren’t for some big plays called back due to no fault of his own. I don’t want to set the bar too low but this offense just lacks talent and he’s at least taken care of the ball despite that.

Dud: ILB Patrick Queen

Queen took some criticism on social media after being tagged with four missed tackles in the season opener. Those problems weren’t as big of issues today but there were a few times where Denver’s offensive lineman were able to climb to the second level with him being unable to disengage quickly enough. His game is more predicated on speed but there just hasn’t been as many splash plays as I was expecting to see heading into the season. It’s early so there’s no real reason to panic but Pittsburgh’s paying him to be an impact player. That’s what I want to see moving forward.