Steelers Defense Catches Odd And Unnecessary Jab From Monday Night Football Analyst Troy Aikman

The Pittsburgh Steelers will head into a Week 9 bye week with a record of 6-2 after taking care of the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. The 26-18 win provided fans with more evidence that the team is capable of making a postseason run in 2024. There are still some areas of concern, but even the wide receiver discussion may have been settled after Calvin Austin III's second prolific performance of the season. There's one thing that's certain, and that's that the organization currently has one of the best defenses in the National Football League.

While the Steelers' defense certainly has a bend don't break mentality, it features the best defender in the world in TJ Watt and has pieces all over the field that are capable of making big plays when they are necessary. There will be several tough matchups down the stretch as Pittsburgh will rest up during the bye week and then have to play several intimidating offenses.

Joe Buck and Troy Aikman were on the call Monday night and one of the league's most consistent and respectable broadcasting crews had what Steelers fans may call a small gaffe. The former Super Bowl champion in Aikman, who beat Pittsburgh at the end of the 1995 season in the championship, was attempting to discuss one of the league's best defensive units and, after a simple compliment, detailed that there isn't too much about it that isn't able to be manipulated.

"This is a defense - they're good [but] they're not a complicated defense," Aikman said. "You get a lot of single-high safety which means you have a lot of one-on-one opportunities. When they've tried to disguise, [Daniel Jones] has seen it."

Sometimes less is more, but Aikman's comments seem to take on a little bit different of an angle. While the former quarterback didn't say it specifically, he was essentially remarking that it's not too hard to read and understand. This would imply that quarterbacks around the league should be having more success, but the Steelers are allowing just 14.9 points per game and have a turnover margin of +10. It sure seems like it's complicated to most teams out there.

One of the funniest parts about Aikman's comments were that just a play or two after he said them, Watt and Alex Highsmith had back-to-back sacks, and Daniel Jones looked befuddled. The flood gates opened from there and the defense finished with, Watt and Highsmith specifically, a combined four sacks. The team allowed more yards than it would have liked, but the Giants were still unable to put 20 points on the board.

Pittsburgh is set up nicely for a run in 2024 and it's because of the defense's season-long commitment to dominate through eight weeks. The offense has picked up some slack since Russell Wilson took over, and that's exactly why the team may be lined up to do some damage in January. If there's one thing that's certain overall, it's that the defense is surely giving opposing teams issues and while it may be simple in scheme, it absolutely is complicated thanks to Watt and co.

Steelers Finally Beginning To Make Some Noise In The AFC

Pittsburgh may have had a rather simple schedule in the first eight weeks of the season, but no one can deny that the team has an opportunity to stick with some of the best teams in the AFC. The final nine regular season contests will prove if Mike Tomlin's group is a contender or pretender, but for now, the Steelers are guaranteed to come out of the bye with the lead in the AFC North.

What do you make of Aikman's comments on the Monday Night Football broadcast? Let us know in the comments below!

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