Opponents have to pick their poison when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers defense.
They can try deep throws, but safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is waiting.
Intermediate and slot routes could work but Alex Highsmith is patrolling that area as well.
Worst yet, quarterbacks might not be able to get a good look because the pressure is coming.
That tenacity in stopping the other team from scoring has solidified the team’s identity as a hard-nosed squad.
Play-callers might also have some fear in them when they face the Steelers because they are good at getting to the quarterback.
The NFL on CBS Twitter account revealed that the Steelers have the longest active streak of consecutive seasons with at least 50 sacks.
The Minnesota Vikings are at a distant second with one.
The Los Angeles Rams could be in second place if they did not have exactly 50 sacks in 2021.
Their elite defense tallied 53 sacks two seasons ago.
A Quick Glance At The Steelers’ Streak
It helped that reigning Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt tied Michael Strahan‘s record of 22.5 sacks last season.
That’s a huge part of the 55 sacks the Steelers had in 2021.
But their streak started in 2017 when they led the league with 56 sacks.
The year before, the Steelers only had 38, 10 sacks shy of the league-leading Arizona Cardinals’ tally.
In 2018, they were tied with the Kansas City Chiefs at 52 sacks.
Pittsburgh had 54 in 2019 and 56 in 2020.
They led the league in sacks in all of these instances.
But though they are excellent in rushing the quarterback, they have much room for improvement on run defense.
It’s ironic that the NFL’s best in sacks ranked dead last in rushing yards allowed at 146.1 per game last season.
If they are to make the next step, that’s a weakness that they must address.
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