Steelers' Captain Praises Offense For Bailing Out Defense After Crucial Week 17 Win

The Pittsburgh Steelers had back-to-back offensive outbursts in key games. This time, they exploded for 468 yards in a 30-23 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. This is the first time that the Steelers scored at least 30 points in consecutive weeks since 2020. This time, however, the defense did not do as well as expected. Outside of Nick Herbig's strip-sack and fumble recovery on the same play, the defense bent way too much for comfort. The defensive captain knows this, and he made sure to praise the offense for carrying the team. 

Steelers Defense Is Thankful For Offense 

In his postgame press conference, Cameron Heyward was asked about the offensive explosion and what it means for the defense. He had nothing but great things to say about the surging offense while criticizing his own side of the ball. 

"We haven't been at our best on defense, but to have an offense that is going out there and giving us 30 points, that's a lot to rely on. I hate to say it gives us more room for error, but it's a team game, and to have that complementary football where if we give up a score, the offense goes down and gets another touchdown, you really do appreciate that."

The Steelers gave up 369 yards on defense while allowing 23 points. Even though the Seahawks did not score a touchdown in the second half, they did not have too much trouble moving the football down the field. The aforementioned fumble was the big boost that the Steelers needed to let the offense close the game out. Besides that play, the Seahawks had a ton open between the 20-yard lines for most of the game. 

Steelers Were Led By Angry Runs

Later on in the press conference, while answering a similar question, he took a moment to praise the running backs. While the offense has finally started clicking, the run game was the catalyst for this particular win. 

"The way our runners ran was really special. I can't say enough about the way Jaylen and Najee ran the ball." 

Najee Harris had 27 rush attempts and totaled 122 yards, along with two touchdowns. Jaylen Warren had 17 total touches for 98 yards and a touchdown, with 75 yards coming from the run game. Both players had multiple strong runs where they ran through multiple tackles. After this game, they have become the fourth running back duo in Steelers history to accumulate 1000 scrimmage yards each in the same season. 

The Steelers are going to have to keep this up offensively if they want to make the playoffs, let alone make a deep run in January. Even though the defense had a subpar performance overall, they at least know that the offense finally has their back. Warren and Harris have been a dominating duo all season long, and they will have to do their part to keep the offense rolling, whether Mason Rudolph plays or not. 

What better way to prove that they can click on all cylinders than to play a must-win game against their most hated rivals? It doesn't matter that the Baltimore Ravens might sit some starters out. Even though the MVP frontrunner probably won't play, the defense will have their work cut out for them against a strong rushing offense. On the other side, the Steelers will have to continue to dominate on the ground if they want to up-end a consistently great defense. They can't rely on repeated dropped passes this time around.

What do you think about Cameron Heyward's comments on the offense making up for the lackluster defense? Do you think the Steelers can continue this sudden offensive surge? Will the defense get back on track? Let us know in the comments.

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