5 things we learned: Steelers defense dominates 2nd half for 2nd week in row

Five things we learned from Steelers 37, Jets 15:

1. Getting defensive

The headlines in the aftermath of the victory, not surprisingly, centered around quarterback Russell Wilson and his performance in his first start of the season.

Wilson not only shook 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 represented a season high, and the Steelers topped 400 yards for the second time in four games and for the first time in a win this year.

Perhaps lost in the shuffle was another dominant second-half showing by the defense. Since giving up 14 fourth-quarter points to the Dallas Cowboys, including the go-ahead touchdown in the waning seconds, the Steelers have returned to their stingy ways after halftime.

A week after limiting Vegas to a touchdown on six possessions in the second half, the Steelers shut out the Jets for the final 30 minutes. That occurred over a span of four full possessions that preceded the final play of the game when the Jets got the ball back with inside 30 seconds to play.

Over those nine non-touchdown possessions, the Steelers have blocked a punt and field goal, gotten three takeaways and forced the opponent to turn the ball over on downs twice.

Since the start of the 2023 season, the Steelers have yielded 95 points in the fourth quarter — or fewer than four per game — the lowest in the NFL.

2. Missing piece

While the switch in quarterbacks paid off for wide receiver George Pickens based on his five-catch, 111-yard, 1-touchdown outing, he wasn’t the only pass-catching threat to reap the benefits of Wilson’s Steelers debut.

Since training camp, Wilson has talked glowingly about having such a formidable target in 6-foot-7 tight end Darnell Washington. Former offensive coordinator Matt Canada and his interim successors never found ways to get Washington heavily involved in the offense.

That began to change this year under Arthur Smith’s watch. 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.

Still, it wasn’t until Wilson took control of the offense Sunday night that Washington became a featured target. Wilson targeted Washington four times, and the result was four receptions for 36 yards, both representing career highs. Not bad considering Washington entered 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 hooked up for an 18-yard completion.

3. Center of attention

Because of Zach Frazier’s ankle injury, the Steelers started their ninth member on the offensive line when Ryan McCollum stepped in at center. It’s the most players the Steelers have started on the line through Week 7 since 2011. By comparison, the Steelers had started 12 players on the line the previous two seasons combined.

Like the rest of the offense, it took some time to get the desired results. At halftime, the Steelers had 41 yards rushing and were averaging 3.2 yards per carry. After intermission, the Steelers totaled 108 rushing yards and averaged 4.7 yards per carry. In addition, the line didn’t give up a sack and allowed Wilson to be hit just once in the second half. This came after he was sacked once and hit three other times in the opening half.

4. Booting 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 flagged for leverage, punter Corliss Waitman’s accomplishments went largely unnoticed.

Waitman was called on to punt four times in the first half, including three times following three-and-outs. Waitman dropped all four punts inside the 20, but he was credited with only three when the Jets got a 4-yard return to take possession at the 21.

The Jets helped out by having one muffed return and fumbling another one out of bounds. Still, Waitman had a 51-yard punt that resulted in a fair catch at the 13. Late in the half, he had a punt downed at the Jets’ 7. This led to Aaron Rodgers’ ill-fated decision to throw a pass down the middle of the field that Beanie Bishop picked off with 1:15 left in the half to set up the Steelers’ first touchdown.

Waitman finished with a net average of 45 yards.

5. Snap 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 that was eclipsed only by the five offensive linemen and Wilson. Those six players never left the field.

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

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