We often hear players and coaches refer to football as "the ultimate team game." A quick check of the Steelers' 2020 numbers bears that out; in fact, they may be taking it to the extreme.
I recently wrote about the receivers sharing the wealth – and, sure enough, 9 different players caught at least one pass in Dallas (3 for touchdowns) – but the same thing is happening on defense.
Of course, there are the obvious standouts. TJ Watt, Bud Dupree, Stephon Tuitt, Cam Heyward and Vince Williams are putting up the big numbers. Against the Cowboys, Williams led with 8 tackles (2 for losses), Heyward and Watt shared a sack, Cam hit the quarterback 3 times, TJ deflected 3 passes at the line of scrimmage.
But this stat sticks out. So far, 16 different Steelers have recorded a TFL – tackle for loss.
Williams leads the league with 14 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, Watt is second with 12, Tuitt is just outside the top ten with 7 and now everybody is getting into the act. The latest to join the list – former practice squader Henry Mondeaux and rookie Carlos Davis who both made plays in Dallas with Tyson Alualu still out.
There may be a bit of a feast-or-famine aspect to this since, after giving up a few more long runs Sunday, Heyward suggested that some guys were taking unnecessary chances which presumably opened up cutback lanes.
Alualu may return shortly - Mike Hilton, as well – which should help the suddenly vulnerable run defense. But, in the meantime, all the players are getting chances and sharing the wealth is paying off.
