Pittsburgh Steelers' Outstanding Defensive Performance In Week 6 Was Aided Tremendously By Continued Improvement From A Highly Criticized Player

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off arguably their best defensive performance of the season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It's especially impressive considering the circumstances the team was dealing with, as the Steelers were without at least four starters on their defense, as well as a couple key contributors and depth pieces.

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, Devin Bush stopping Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back, Leonard Fournette in Week 6 on Oct. 16, 2022. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)

The stellar performance was a group effort, which couldn't have been done without some key contributions from players like James Pierre and Josh Jackson, who haven't seen any meaningful playing time until their performances in Week 6. However, there is a player that a lot of Steeler Nation has been hard on over the years, whose play continued to improve and had one of the best performances to date against the Buccaneers.

That player would be none other than former first round pick, Devin Bush.

Bush has been someone that many people are potentially starting to label a bust, and are being highly critical of his lack of positive impact on defense. Some of that criticism has been justified and some hasn't, but each week in 2022, he has continued to show signs that he can develop into the player the Steelers hoped he would when they traded up to select him at 10th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. Below is one of his best plays of the season so far, as he flows with the play and shoots the gap perfectly, stopping Leonard Fournette for no gain.

Coming off a promising rookie season, Bush tore his ACL early in the 2020 season and when he made his return in 2021, he just didn't look like the same player. Often times, Bush was appearing hesitant and passive in his run fills, while not having a good feel or missing his spots in pass defense. A lot of that has changed so far in 2022.

There are multiple instances against the Buccaneers that show Bush trusting what he sees and reacting, instead of overthinking. Many times, he triggers and gets downhill quickly, filling a hole for a clean hit on a runner. He also met blockers head on in the hole on multiple occasions, stopping them in their tracks, which led to runners struggling to find any running room where the play was designed to go.

Steelers Are Pleased With Devin Bush's Performance

Overall, the Steelers have been very pleased with the progress Bush has made so far this season as well, and head coach, Mike Tomlin has even given public backing on multiple occasions in his interviews.

Bush had several things on his side this season that definitely have contributed to his improved play thus far. First is being another year removed from his ACL injury. Most of the off-season last year, Bush spent the time rehabbing and wasn't able to put all his focus on being the leader in the middle of the Steelers defense. Now, he is making game saving plays like the breakup on the 2-point conversation on the Buccaneers' final drive.

The next would be the Steelers going out and signing Myles Jack, who has now been the leader in the center of the team's defense. Having Jack around has been a huge help for Bush in multiple ways. First has been that Jack is the one on defense wearing the 'green dot,' meaning he is the one communicating the defensive play calls to the defense from the Steelers' coaches on the sidelines or in the box. Not having Bush being the main communicator has made it easier for him to focus on his assignments and react quicker to the offense.

In addition to Jack being the Steelers defensive communicator, him and Bush have also appeared to develop very good chemistry next to each other in the middle. On multiple occasions, you see both of them communicating with one another pre-snap and they have the trust in each other to know they will be in the spot they're supposed to post-snap. The pairing with Jack in the middle, in addition to another year removed from his injury, appears to be exactly what Bush needed to get his career back on track in Pittsburgh.

Do you think Bush has stepped up his play this season for the Steelers? Let us know in the comments below!

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