The Steelers currently have the NFL's second-ranked defense. They have the second-best turnover margin. They have the second-best point differential in the AFC. The defense has been great thus far. However, if I could somehow take you into the locker room inside the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, you would never know.
Just yesterday, Patrick Queen was asked about the impressive turnover margin and how it's helped win them games. His response couldn't have been more deflating:
"Hunting the ball. They preach hunting the ball," Queen said. "I think we're rallying to the ball, trying to get to the ball and create havoc. There's just so many more plays out there that we can create and we let up. And we know that. That's why we're so aggravated walking around here right now, just knowing we need to get better. It's what we do. It's what they preach. I think it can only get better."
If you didn't watch the video, please, watch it. It's not exactly what he said. It's the way he said it. You'd think the Steelers have the league's worst defense. Like they've been letting the team down.
Cam Heyward speaks every Thursday, so I wanted to get his perspective. Why is this defense so hard on itself? It's not always going to be perfect, especially in a league that's geared so much toward offense. But since he's been in the NFL a long time, and all with this particular organization, Heyward's perspective matters.
"I just think there's more to accomplish," Heyward said. "Even if you're at the top, you've gotta stay at the top. You look at our defense, (ranked) second or whatever, we've gotta get better. There are still mistakes on the field. There are still little things we can clean up. Communication can always be better. We don't have the sacks that we want. Stopping the run can be better. When you look at it collectively, there's a lot we can improve on, and we're going to keep striving for that."
Every other defensive player I've spoken with all have the same mentality. That everything could be way, way better. That what they're doing right now is so far below what they should be doing.
You know what that reminds me of? The 2008 defense. Yeah, that one. One of the best defenses to ever take the field in this league.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not making any bold predictions here. I'm not saying the 2024 Steelers are about to rival that group. It's the mentality that they share. I didn't cover the 2008 team, but from everything I've heard about that team, they took every little thing seriously. If they were ranked second at something, they were pissed. They wanted to be the best across the board. And, by season's end, they damn near were.
Not all great defenses function that way. Maybe that's just the Steelers way. The difference this year is this defense has enough talent in which they can be one of the best units in the league. They have a Defensive Player of the Year in T.J. Watt, who is still going to be in the conversation despite having only three sacks so far. The defensive line has been amazing. Heyward is proving last year was all because of health, not age. The linebackers are better, and DeShon Elliott and Donte Jackson have helped stabilize a secondary that desperately needed it.
When a talented group such as this has a championship mindset, something special could come from it. That's why every single week, the focus isn't about what they've done well, it's about hitting a much higher ceiling.
"I think it comes from within," Teryl Austin said Thursday. "We've also been talking about it. We looked at some of the things we put on tape. There's a lot of really good things. I want to make sure I say that. There's some things on there, as Mike [Tomlin] likes to call them, are 'JV,' that we know we can be better at. I think that's really what the guys are talking about. The things we should be good at, we have to be better at.
Austin specifically mentioned tightening up on screens and check downs, not letting those go for huge plays, such as the 57-yard catch-and-scamper by Breece Hall in last week's win over the Jets.
"That shouldn't happen, not with the amount of talent and speed we have on defense," Austin said. "Those are just some simple things play-wise that we look at and try to figure out why did it get out, how can we be better at that. That takes a lot of stuff off your plate."
The 2024 defense may not end up as one of the all-time great defenses. They're off to a good start, but seven games is usually a good enough sample size to know whether something like that is there. It's usually pretty tangible.
But, they have the same type of mindset that all of the all-time great defenses have had. That absolutely matters. And, despite offense being king in today's NFL, defense still matters. Remember, last year's Chiefs team not only had Patrick Mahomes, but they also had the second-ranked defense.
"Those guys know that we've played some good football," Austin said. "For us to play really championship-type football, we’ve got to tighten up and do some things better."
