The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense, especially their pass rush, has come under considerable attack, especially after their blowout loss to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football in Week 12.
But despite that quiet showing, with many pundits wanting the Steelers to change things up and do something different with the defensive line when rushing the passer, Pro Football Focus still says the Steelers Not only do I believe they have the best defensive line in football, but they also have the best pass rush in the league.
The Steelers’ defensive line was ranked No. 1 in the NFL by PFF’s John Kosko entering Week 13 thanks to an 89.9 overall grade. This was much better than the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive line, which ranks second in the NFL. Overall 79.9.
“After nearly shutting down Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry in Week 11, the Browns offensive line provided the boost the top-ranked defensive line needed to get back on track. They were rated as the second best unit of the week with an overall score of 80.1, led by Nick Herbig’s 93.2. Kosko writes about the Steelers’ defensive line. “For the season, TJ Watt’s overall grade of 92.7 is the best in the NFL (other than Aidan Hutchinson), and Cameron Heyward, Herbig, and Alex Highsmith all boast grades above 87.2.
“No defensive line has more star power than the 2024 Steelers.”
On paper, it’s clear that the Steelers have the best defensive line in football, especially when you include outside linebackers TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig. Add those three to a defensive line of Cameron Heyward, Keanu Benton, and Larry Ogunjobi, and it’s clear how good the Steelers’ defensive line is.
So far this season, the Steelers have the best run defense in football, allowing just 90.3 rushing yards per game, trailing the Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens, and Kansas City Chiefs. That ranks fourth in the NFL. On top of that, the Steelers have the fourth-best defense in the NFL in terms of points per game. Allowing just 16.9 points per gamebehind the Los Angeles Chargers, Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos.
However, the defensive line has been the subject of recent criticism, especially in Week 12 against the Browns, as it produced a consistent pass rush and struggled to stop the run and get off the field in short yardage situations. We are currently facing some difficult challenges.
But overall, while Hayward bounced back from his injury to have a great year, Ogunjobi and Benton remain a healthy presence on the front line and remain an outstanding group. On the outside, Watt is once again the playmaker while Highsmith has struggled with injuries. However, if Highsmith is healthy, he will be an opposing force to Watt.
Herbig is no different, and like Watt’s mentor, he has a knack for making splash plays in big spots.
From a pass rush standpoint, PFF still believes the Steelers are the best pass rusher, even though they aren’t leading the league in sacks. However, they have the league’s best pass rush grade of 90.3. They beat the Eagles with a score of 86.9.
“There are virtually no weaknesses in the Steelers’ pass rush unit, so there’s no real surprise here.” Kosko writes about the Steelers pass rush unit. “Herbig’s 92.0 grade is the best on the team, and Hayward is next with an elite 90.0 grade, while Keanu Benton’s pass rush grade of 82.0 is fifth-best on the team.
“The unit’s pass rush win percentage as a whole was 52.3%, second best in the NFL, and they also had the most passes attempted in the NFL with 16.”
Time and time again, the Steelers find a way to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, often with just a four-man rush. That pass rush, led by Hayward, Watt, Highsmith, and Herbig, has been very strong all season, despite a rough game against the Browns.
Despite all the attention on Watt, it’s also encouraging to see players like Highsmith and Herbig performing opposite him.
The Steelers have a truly elite pass rush and will win often. That much is clear. We hope that this situation continues until the end of the grueling schedule.
