On a defense that includes All-Pro players such as T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick, it's easy to get lost.
But nickel corner Mike Hilton and inside linebacker Vince Williams are doing their best to make sure they get noticed.
Through three games, Hilton leads the Steelers with 21 tackles and is tied for the team lead with three pass defenses. He's also added two sacks, an interception and four tackles for a loss. Not bad for a player on the field just under 70 percent of the time.
Not to be outdone, Williams has celebrated his return to being a full-time starter -- after being relegated to part-time status in 2019 -- by recorded 14 tackles, two sacks and a league-high eight tackles for a loss, three more than the next closest players, which includes Watt.
They've been two key members of a run defense that has helped the Steelers to a 3-0 start that will be tested in their next game by the Titans (3-0) and star running back Derrick Henry.
The NFL is expected to announce Thursday that game will be played Monday at Nissan Stadium after postponing it from its regularly scheduled Sunday start time thanks to a COVID-19 outbreak with the Titans. That will give the Steelers an extra day to figure out how to slow the 6-foot-3, 248-pound Henry, a tall task in a regular work week.
"Stopping Henry is going to be a difficult task," Williams said. "He’s an amazing running back. I think one key is to get him before he gets rolling because he has incredible speed and he’s creates some mismatches when he gets into your secondary, it’s a problem. We want to get him before he gets going."
That's obviously the key to stopping any running back. And the Steelers are uniquely suited to stop Henry, who leads the NFL with 319 rushing yards and 82 attempts through the first three games.
But unlike many other big backs, Henry has atypical speed. He ran a 4.54-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine prior to be selected in the second round of the 2016 draft. And as he showed in last year's playoffs when he ran for 182 and 195 yards in back-to-back wins over the Patriots and Ravens, he can be a thorn in the side of even good defenses.
"We’ve just got to get a lot of heads to the ball," Hilton said. "Everybody knows he’s probably one of the top five backs in the league. He runs with oomph behind his runs. We gang-tackle him, and we’ll be fine."
Catching running backs behind the line of scrimmage has been a big reason the Steelers lead the league allowing just 54 yards rushing per game. They're giving up 2.7 yards per rushing attempt overall, but just 2.3 yards per attempt to opposing running backs.
They've shut down the Giants' Saquon Barkley in Week 1 and Texans' David Johnson in Week 3. Melvin Gordon of the Broncos rushed for 70 yards on 19 carries in a Week 2 loss to the Steelers, but averaged less than 3 yards per carry in the second half of that game.
Williams and Hilton have combined for 12 of the Steelers' league-best 29 tackles for a loss this season. They might not get the publicity of some of their more famous teammates, but they've been every bit as important when it comes to shutting down opposing running games.
And it's a chess match between Keith Butler and opposing offensive coordinators that makes it happen. Hilton and Williams are often used as blitzers, which gets them into the backfield and allows them to make all of those tackles for a loss.
"I think me and Mike are kind of the knights. to be honest with you," Williams said, sticking with the chess analogy. "We dominate in a specific area of the game that our counterparts in the NFL don’t really dominate in. It makes us very unique individuals."
Hilton might not know as much about chess as Williams, but he agreed with the comparison.
"I guess the knight piece is pretty a productive piece," Hilton said. "Guys know what me and Vinny bring to this team. We both embrace our role. He’s leading the league in tackles for a loss and I’m right up there. We both embrace our roles and have fun."
They have a little competition, as well, in regard to who will make more plays behind the line of scrimmage. Williams has the early lead, but Hilton -- much like he does with opposing offenses -- is there nipping at his heels.
If the Steelers are going to slow Henry, they'll need both Williams and Hilton to add to their tackle-for-a-loss totals.
"We know where we play the best is getting to the quarterback and getting ball-carriers behind the line of scrimmage," Hilton said. "Vince is the top guy in the league right now."