5 things we learned: The Steelers defense dominated the second half for the second straight year

Five things we learned from Steelers 37 and Jets 15:

1. Get defensive

Unsurprisingly, the headlines after the win centered around quarterback Russell Wilson and his performance in his first start of the season.

Not only did Wilson shake off a slow start to pass for 264 yards and two touchdowns while running for another score, he also led the offense to 31 unanswered points. The 37 points scored tied a season high, and the Steelers eclipsed 400 yards rushing for the second time in four games and the first time in a win this year.

Another dominant defensive performance in the second half may have been lost in the confusion. Since giving up 14 points to the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead touchdown in the final seconds, the Steelers have returned to their stingy behavior after halftime.

A week after limiting Vegas to one touchdown on six possessions in the second half, the Steelers shut out the Jets for the final 30 minutes. This occurred over a period of four complete possessions leading up to the final play of the game, when the Jets got the ball back with 30 seconds left in the game.

Over the course of those nine touchdown-less possessions, the Steelers blocked a punt and a field goal, had three takeaways and twice forced the opponent to turn the ball over on downs.

Since the start of the 2023 season, the Steelers have scored 95 points in the fourth quarter – or fewer than four per game – the fewest points in the NFL.

2. Missing part

While the change in quarterbacks paid off for wide receiver George Pickens due to his effort of five catches, 111 yards and 1 touchdown, he wasn’t the only pass-catching threat to benefit from Wilson’s Steelers debut.

Since training camp, Wilson has spoken enthusiastically about having such an impressive target in 6-foot-2 tight end Darnell Washington. Former offensive coordinator Matt Canada and his interim replacements never found ways to get Washington heavily involved in the offense.

That began to change this year under Arthur Smith’s leadership. With Justin Fields starting the first six games, Washington had multiple receptions in a game for the first time in his two-year career and he caught his first NFL touchdown pass.

But it wasn’t until Wilson took control of the offense on Sunday night that Washington became the main target. Wilson targeted Washington four times, resulting in four balls for 36 yards, both representing career highs. Not bad considering Washington came into the game with six catches for 55 yards this season.

Wilson set the tone from the first drive when his first attempt was a 15-yard completion to Washington. Later in the half, they scored on an 18-yard completion.

3. Center of attention

Due to Zach Frazier’s ankle injury, the Steelers put their ninth member on offense with Ryan McCollum filling in at center. That’s the most players the Steelers have on the line through Week 7 since 2011. In comparison, the Steelers had 12 players on the line in the previous two seasons combined.

As with the rest of the offensive, it took some time to achieve the desired results. At halftime, the Steelers had 41 rushing yards and an average of 3.2 yards per carry. After halftime, the Steelers totaled 108 rushing yards and averaged 4.7 yards per carry. Additionally, the line did not allow a sack and only allowed Wilson to be hit once in the second half. This came after he was sacked once and hit three times in the first half.

4. Boot up

In a game in which Chris Boswell kicked three more field goals, Dean Lowry blocked a field goal and Minkah Fitzpatrick blocked an extra point before being warned for leverage, punter Corliss Waitman’s accomplishments went largely unnoticed.

Waitman was called for punting four times in the first half, including three times on three-and-outs. Waitman dropped all four punts inside the 20 yards, but he was only credited with three as the Jets managed a 4-yard return to gain possession at the 21.

The Jets helped by making a botched return and fumbling another out of bounds. Still, Waitman had a 51-yard punt that resulted in a fair catch at the 13. Near the end of the half, he dropped a punt at the Jets’ 7. This led to Aaron Rodgers’ unfortunate decision to throw a pass down the middle of the field that Beanie Bishop intercepted with 1:15 left in the half, setting up the Steelers’ first touchdown.

Waitman finished with a net average of 45 yards.

4. Quick decisions

Two weeks after his snap count was questioned following the 20-17 loss to Dallas, Pickens played 54 of 68 snaps – a 79% rate bettered only by the five offensive linemen and Wilson. These six players never left the field.

Van Jefferson played 42 snaps and Calvin Austin III 34. Smith also continued to give his tight ends plenty of playing time. Pat Freiermuth was on the field for 48 games, followed by Washington with 36 and MyCole Pruitt with 30. Connor Heyward logged just 10.

On defense, TJ Watt played all but four of 57 snaps, and Alex Highsmith marked his return from a groin injury by playing 42 plays. With the Steelers using their nickel package for most of the game, slot corner Beanie Bishop played 47 snaps. Inside linebacker Payton Wilson, who usually plays on passing downs, had 31 snaps. His playing time came at the expense of Elandon Roberts, who only played 16 games. Wilson and Roberts had previously split snaps almost equally.