After surprising slow start on defense, Steelers seek bounce-back performance against Cowboys

It was the type of performance that can shake a defense’s confidence.

After allowing the fewest points in the NFL to spearhead a 3-0 start, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ top-ranked defense gave up two touchdowns and a field goal on the Indianapolis Colts’ first three possessions, setting the stage for a 27-24 defeat Sunday.

By halftime, the Colts had 17 points and 239 yards against a defense that had limited opponents to an average of 8.7 points and 229 yards during a 3-0 start.

The tone was set after a 32-yard pass play to open the game. With the Steelers playing a nickel defense, the Colts churned out the final 38 yards on the ground to take a 7-0 lead less than three minutes into the game.

All against the NFL’s second-ranked run defense, no less.

Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin wasn’t surprised the Colts ran effectively while the Steelers were in that sub-package.

“I was more surprised we didn’t get off to the start we wanted,” he said Thursday. “That’s what I was surprised about. I’ve been very happy with the guys and how they’ve been playing and how we had been starting games.

“It was a little bit out of the norm for us.”

By the time the necessary adjustments were made, the damage already had been done. The Steelers scored three touchdowns in the second half. But the Colts responded by getting a touchdown and field goal, respectively, to push their lead back to double digits.

Factor in the Steelers not getting a turnover for the second game in a row, T.J. Watt finishing with two assisted tackles and the pass rush generating just two sacks, and it was a predicament the second-half comeback was unable to overcome.

“We weren’t getting off the field when we could, especially on third down,” defensive captain Cameron Heyward said, referencing the Colts converting 8 of 15 third downs. “We weren’t maximizing turnovers. We weren’t stopping the run. That’s the gist of it all. There is a lot to improve on.”

The chance to prove the performance at Indianapolis was an aberration isn’t a motivating factor for the defense, Heyward insisted.

“Honestly, no,” he said. “The motivation is we’ve got to play the Dallas Cowboys. It speaks for itself. Sunday night football, two pretty good teams. That’s enough to be motivated by.”

In the Cowboys, the Steelers face at team that snapped a two-game losing streak last week and enters the game with extra rest after beating the New York Giants last Thursday night. One of the preseason favorites to reach the Super Bowl, the Cowboys are 2-0 on the road and feature the NFL’s highest-paid player in quarterback Dak Prescott and dynamic receiver CeeDee Lamb.

Austin expects Prescott to try to exploit the Steelers defense much the way Anthony Richardson and Joe Flacco did last weekend.

“There’s no secret to it,” Austin said. “Get back to work. We’ve been more successful than not coming out of the gate so far this year. We’ll get back to work and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

After opening the season with four interceptions and a fumble recovery in wins at Atlanta and Denver, the Steelers haven’t been as splashy on defense. Joey Porter Jr. dropped a potential interception in the end zone against the Colts, and the Steelers haven’t fallen on any of the three fumbles that have occurred in the past two weeks.

“Dak has seen every coverage,” Heyward said. “It comes back to our habit of stopping the run early, making it longer down and distances. It’s allowing our four-man rush to heat up a little bit and capitalize on turnovers. If the ball hits the ground and it’s a fumble, we have to be the first guys to pounce on it. When the ball is in the air and we can pick it off, you have to get the pick. Against this team, you can’t give them second chances.”

The Steelers are blitzing on just 22.4% of the defensive snaps this year after doing it at a 34.1% clip last year. Scaling back the blitz packages puts an onus on the four pass rushers to be disruptive while some extra protection can be provided to the secondary.

“We’re playing a quarterback that, if he sees single coverage in some of those guys, he’s going to wait and throw it back there,” Heyward said. “We have to make sure we help our back end as much as possible. We have to control the line of scrimmage in the run and pass.”

Watt wasn’t a factor against the Colts when the Steelers were without fellow outside linebacker Alex Highsmith. Watt didn’t have a solo tackle and was confounded by holding calls that didn’t warrant a flag.

“Great pass rushers get held,” Austin said. “T.J. is going to get held every week. He’s going to get held this week, and we may not get (the call). Our job is to fight through that because it’s not in our control. Try to put him in favorable situations so that stuff doesn’t affect the outcome of the game.”

All-Pro free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, meantime, hasn’t created a turnover this year, a carryover from 2023 when he didn’t have an interception or forced fumble in 10 games. Fitzpatrick is second on the team in tackles and first in solo stops. Yet the addition of veterans DeShon Elliott and Donte Jackson in the secondary hasn’t translated into more playmaking chances for Fitzpatrick.

“I have full confidence,” Austin said. “I know what kind of player Minkah is. The more opportunities he has and the more time he has back there, those splash plays will come. I don’t worry about that. I know how he leads our group in terms of communication, and it’s been a lot smoother. As a unit, we’ve operated really smoothly overall.”