Fans of offense, avert your eyes.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a reputation of being one of the hardest hitting, fiercest, most demoralizing defenses in the entire NFL -- and rightly so. Not only have they carried the culture of smash-mouth football with them since the Steel Curtain dynasty in the 1970's, but they continue to back that reputation up with raw productivity and statistics. Despite years of ebbs and flows, years of porous defense and electric offense, the Steelers have remained the king of the league in one statistic: Sacks.
No one, and I mean no one, gets to the quarterback quite like the Steelers.
The vaunted defensive core for Pittsburgh mounted 55 total sacks during the 2021 season, kings of the league and four sacks ahead of the number two Minnesota Vikings. Of course, it's impossible to have a sack discussion without mentioning the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year, TJ Watt, who tied the NFL record for sacks in a season with 22.5 (although many Steeler Nation faithful know that it's actually 23).
ESPN.com
This is all to say that Watt produced a whopping 41% of the Steelers sacks in the 2021 season, on his way to the most dominant year of his career. But quarterbacks can't afford to just look out for the best defensive player in the league, that would be too easy. Instead, opposing signal-callers are forced to keep their heads on a swivel for other defensive freaks on the other side of the ball, including underrated superstar Cam Heyward, newly signed linebacker Myles Jack (a former cornerstone of the Sacksonville defense from 2017), noted ballhawk, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and rising threat, Alex Highsmith. That's just a few, by the way.
Let's not forget the Steelers that are returning from injury with a vengeance, including Tyson Alualu.
ESPN.com
Steeler Nation everywhere couldn't seem to contain their excitement for defensive lineman, Stephon Tuitt's potential return, who was sure to wreak havoc in the trenches after missing the entire 2021 season. What was supposed to be a much-needed shot in the arm to the underwhelming run defense of 2021 took a massive hit with Tuitt's retirement.
Not to fear, though. Other Steelers are stepping up to the challenge.
Also poised for an injury comeback is Alualu, the 300 pound, 12-year veteran who served as a key role player in the nose tackle position, taking double teams away from Heyward and Tuitt on his way to some consistent and efficient seasons with the Steelers.
All of this to ask, can the Steelers keep up their production? How long can this streak continue? Pittsburgh has led the league in sacks in every single season since 2017, setting countless franchise and league records for being fiercely consistent in their approach. Now don't sound the alarm, but the five-year stretch has come entirely under defensive coordinator Keith Butler, who retired after the 2021 campaign alongside Hall of Fame quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. In his place now is Teryl Austin, who has been with the Steelers as a Senior Defensive Assistant since 2019, and has spent 18 years in NFL coaching.
BleacherReport.com
That should hardly be cause for concern from Steeler Nation. Coaching may change, but with so much raw talent (plus a golden reputation to uphold), this Steelers defensive unit should have no problem producing headaches for years to come.
However, the future of the defense is especially unknown this year. As the hometown hero Heyward approaches his 11th season at age 33, he still produces at an elite level, but fans are starting to look slightly down the road: How will the Steelers replace him? Are we in good hands moving forward? Well, there's no truly replacing the fan-favorite, but if it's any consolation to Steeler Nation, the Steelers have a long and storied history of drafting and developing star-level talent, regardless of who's in the front offices. The departure of longtime General Manager Kevin Colbert, of course, signals a new era of football in Pittsburgh.
But if there's any team that I trust to consistently strike gold on defense, it's the Steelers.
CBSSports.com
Our prediction? With the defensive core still very much intact, with TJ Watt still being an absolute defensive powerhouse, and with key players returning from injury, I can't see a scenario where the Steelers don't eclipse 50 sacks for the 6th consecutive year. And I certainly can't see a world where TJ Watt doesn't hit at least 15-20 sacks after his jaw-dropping 2021 campaign. Judging based on last year's offensive production, a fair portion of our upcoming opponents had mid-level to bottom tier outputs. The New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, and Atlanta Falcons all had lackluster offensive seasons in terms of Yards Per Game. This gives the defensive line a great chance to cause some mayhem to those respective quarterbacks.
Steelers.com
The future looks bright, at least for us, and Steeler Nation everywhere can rest assured. For our 2022 opponents, though, it's quite a different story. Something tells me that somewhere out there, an offensive coordinator is starting to get nervous.
Will the Steelers lead the league in sacks yet again? Comment below!
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