While the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to figure things out on offense, the defense has been everything the team could've hoped for, and then some.
The Steelers have yet to give up more than 10 points in a single game this season after holding the Los Angeles Chargers to that amount in Week 3. Adding to that, L.A. had -5 yards of total offense in the second half of the contest, which is the fourth-fewest allowed by a defense since 2000.
That second-half showing against the Chargers was not an outlier, as the Steelers have only given up six points in the second half over three games. In all, Pittsburgh has surrendered just 26 points over 12 quarters of play in 2024.
Here's a look at where Pittsburgh's unit ranks among the rest of the NFL in terms of per-game averages going into Week 4, according to ESPN:
Scoring defense: 8.7 points (1st)
Total defense: 229.7 yards (1st)
Run defense: 71.3 yards (3rd)
Pass defense: 158.3 (6th)
Takeaways: 5 (Tied-5th)
Sacks: 9 (Tied-10th)
The Cincinnati Bengals currently sport the No. 1 pass defense in the NFL, but if they give up 219 yards through the air on Monday night against the Washington Commanders, the Steelers will jump into the top five.
If Pittsburgh can get its offense going consistently and the unit can play at an even average level, this team could make some serious noise in 2024.
The Steelers' defense will look to keep the good times rolling in a road matchup against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in Week 4.
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