You know what a near-perfect second half sounds like?
Say these four words out loud: punt, punt, interception, punt.
Try it again, slower this time.
Punt.
Punt.
Interception.
Punt.
Or, if you prefer, three three-and-outs and a game-changing turnover. That's what the Steelers did to Deshaun Watson on Sunday at Heinz Field, after Watson did some terrible things to them in the first half.
Who had the Steelers pitching a second-half shutout? Not me. Not after the teams headed to their locker rooms with Houston leading, 21-17. Not after Watson just went 75 yards like he was leading an 11-on-0 drill.
At the time, Watson was 14 of 18 for 202 yards and two touchdowns. The Texans had ripped off five plays of 20 yards or more. The Steelers had no answers.
And then everything changed.
Stephon Tuitt announced himself early in the second half. T.J. Watt helped ruin two series. Mike Hilton made the aforementioned interception to launch the Steelers into their game-winning drive. Players such as Tyson Alualu and Alex Highsmith contributed key plays.
Texans coach Bill O'Brien, bless his heart, never gave up on attempting to run the ball, and the Steelers made the necessary adjustments to stifle Watson & Co., en route to a 28-21 victory that has them 3-0 for the first time since 2010.
They haven't been 4-0 since 1979.
"The defense never blinked," coach Mike Tomlin said.
The offense obviously helped by hoarding the ball for 20 minutes of the second half. That's the way it's supposed to work _ one unit complementing the other. That's what didn't happen last year. But there is no opportunity to dominate time of possession if the defense doesn't kick Watson off the field three times on three plays and once on a pick.
This is Tomlin's defense, remember, so he and defensive coordinator Keith Butler deserve immense credit. After blitzing the brains out of Daniel Jones, Drew Lock and Jeff Driskel in the first two games, the Steelers employed an entirely different plan against the great Watson, who is as dangerous throwing on the run as any quarterback in the league.
If they blitzed once in the second half, I missed it. Four-man rushes were the order of the day. Extreme discipline was the key to the recipe as the afternoon wore on.
The Steelers did not commit a defensive penalty. They stifled Houston's running game, allowing 29 rushing yards, 1.9 yards per carry and one rushing first down. They made sure tackles after halftime. Their inside rushers checked their aggression and sometimes backed off on Watson like basketball defenders (see Cam Heyward on several plays for evidence).
They knew if Watson got loose, he would either run, or, worse, throw on the run for big plays. So they clogged his lanes and held him to one scramble for 5 yards, the third-lowest rushing total of his 41-game career. They only allowed one play over 20 yards in the second half, and they finished with five sacks and a bunch of hurries and hits.
Watson was 5 of 9 for a meager 62 yards after halftime.
"We mixed up some things with our coverages (in the second half), and we rushed a little differently," Tomlin said. "We did what we had to do to win the game."
Games like this stand in stark contrast to some of the Steelers' losses last season, when the defense had trouble finishing.
Goodness knows, Tomlin and Butler have taken their share of criticism when games go wrong. They deserve all kinds of praise after this one, although plans are nothing without talent.
Tuitt, for example, had been awfully quiet this season until he helped wreck Houston's first two series of the second half. The second ended with Tuitt tossing 6-foot-5, 321-pound guard Zach Fulton as if he were a toddler pillow.
That play personified the Steelers' plan: They had seven defenders covering five eligible receivers. That's a good math problem, but it doesn't add up if Tuitt doesn't bring down Watson, who had acres of empty space in front of him.
Watt continued to build his NFL defensive player of the year resume. He smartly snuffed out a reverse flip to Brandin Cooks (elementary, my dear Watson) and later pinballed between tight end Darren Fells and tackle Tytus Howard for an 11-yard sack that essentially killed a series before the Steelers killed the clock.
Turns out Watt was mic'd up for the game (not sure if you heard, but the game featured all three Watt brothers).
"I think you'll find out I'm a very boring person to listen to on the field," Watt said. "I don't talk much."
That's OK.
His actions scream at the top of their lungs.
