For the first time this season, the Steelers got a look at what they hoped would be the catalyst for their defense. And they had to like what they saw.
It wasn't just T.J. Watt showing why he was given the largest contract ever awarded by the franchise, coming up with sacks on back-to-back plays in overtime and forcing the turnover that allowed the Steelers to beat the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night.
It was the performance of his outside partner, Alex Highsmith, who finally displayed what has been expected of him since the departure of Bud Dupree.
Highsmith had 1 1/2 sacks and four quarterback hits against the Seahawks after not having any in his previous four games. When he pressured quarterback Geno Smith into a quick throw on the third play of the game, it was the first time this season he was credited for a quarterback hit.
Highsmith never came off the field against the Seahawks — he played all 65 defensive snaps — and combined with Watt for 3 1/2 of the five sacks, six of the eight hits on Smith and 14 tackles.
After registering just 10 sacks in the first five games, the Steelers may have re-discovered the outside pressure that fuels their defense. And it resulted in a victory that lifted them to .500 heading into a bye week.
"I would say that we were happy to have the opportunity to close the game out as a defense," Watt said. "It was sudden death on the last drive there and we love having the ball. We love playing defense in a situation like that, and I'm glad we were able to close the game out for our team and it was a resilient performance for us."
Watt saved his best for last. He had difficulty getting around 325-pound right tackle Brandon Shell for large portions of the night but finally beat him on a third-down sack on the opening possession of overtime.
Then, when the Seahawks got the ball back after a three-and-out by the Steelers offense, Watt stripped the ball from Smith as he started to run from the pocket. Devin Bush recovered to set up Chris Boswell's winning field goal.
Curiously, it was the first time this season the Steelers scored points off a takeaway, though they were very big points.
"I love the fourth quarter and the overtime by T.J.," defensive end Cam Heyward said. "All game, he was like, 'Man, I'm just not hitting home.' I told him it was going to come and just, 'Keep staying after it, you're going to be great.' And when we needed it the most, he made his plays. What an emphatic play to end the game with a sack strip fumble. We needed it, and he's a hell of a player."
Worthy nickel?
It's easy to be dismissive of the defense's inability to stop the Seahawks' running game in the second half with the way the game ended. But there is no excusing the Steelers' failure to adjust schematically to what was happening.
The Seahawks ran for 126 of their 144 yards after halftime and it started on the very first possession of the third quarter, when they ran on nine of the 10 plays on a 75-yard touchdown drive. Alex Collins, who became the first 100-yard rusher allowed by the Steelers this season, carried eight times for 63 yards on the possession.
However, the Steelers opened the second half in their nickel defense, which features just two defensive linemen. They didn't switch to their base defense with three down linemen until the eighth play of that drive. By then, Collins had already carried five times for 61 yards and the Seahawks had a first down at the Steelers 10.
"They came out early, jumped on us early, got the ball moving down the field running the ball," linebacker Devin Bush said. "I'd probably say they just came out quicker and faster than us. We adjusted and settled down later on in the second half."
Well, not really.
On the game-tying scoring drive in the fourth quarter, Collins ran for 15 yards on the first play and running back Travis Homer went 26 yards on 3rd-and-7 three plays later to set up Jason Myers' 40-yard field goal.
One series later, the Steelers opened in their nickel defense again and Collins ran for 19 yards on first down, only to have the gain negated by a holding penalty. He came right back and gained 10 yards on the next play.
"They had a great plan," said coach Mike Tomlin. "They won the line of scrimmage. We didn't get off enough blocks and things of that nature. We didn't tackle well enough. Collins ran really well."
The only time the Steelers shut down the run was on the Seahawks' ensuing possession, when Collins was stopped for a 1-yard loss on back-to-back plays. That defensive stop led to Chris Boswell's 52-yard field goal that gave the Steelers a 20-17 lead with 90 seconds remaining.
"We were happy with how we stopped the run with 18 or 20 yards in the first half rushing and then opened a can of worms and rush for 100-plus yards in the second half," Watt said. "Even though we got gassed, we found a way, and a win is a win in the National Football League, even if it's not pretty."
Norwood on the rise
On a night when tackling was suspect at best, rookie safety Tre Norwood made several significant plays for the Steelers.
It started on the Seahawks' opening possession when Norwood came up and took out the legs of receiver DK Metcalf, who is 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, after a 2-yard gain on 3rd-and-4.
On the next series, he broke up a pass for receiver Tyler Lockett on 3rd-and-5 at the Steelers 38, forcing the Seahawks to punt in a mystifying move by coach Pete Carroll.
The final one came in the fourth quarter, when he tackled receiver Freddie Swain for a 4-yard loss on 3rd-and-10, forcing a Seahawks punt.
"He's growing, as you can see, making plays, showing up," Bush said. "He's going to definitely be a key piece we need moving down the road."
