No one’s laughing at the Steelers defense anymore. That was not Cody Kessler or Scott Tolzien at quarterback Sunday.
It was Eli Manning, throwing to Odell Beckham. And the Steelers made the New York Giants two-time Super Bowl MVP look like Kessler/Tolzien on way to a 24-14 victory. It easily was a signature game for a defense that had been rocky through the first half of the season.
It seems a long time ago that two rookie quarterbacks lit them up for 69 combined points, or that Miami — which lost, 38-6, Sunday in Baltimore — throttled them for 30.
“Yes, this defense is getting better,’’ said James Harrison, who had another sack. “It’s nowhere near where it needs to be. That’s going to take time but we’re progressing in the right direction.”
Indeed. After stifling two poor offenses in Cleveland and Indianapolis, they made it three in a row against a good offense Sunday to improve their record to 7-5.
“They’re definitely a five-star contender,’’ Lawrence Timmons said. “New York’s a great team. We beat a solid team.”
They made Manning, a likely future Hall of Famer, look pedestrian with just 195 yards passing despite 39 attempts. They picked him off twice, sacked him twice and had him under heavy pressure much of the game. They also stopped the Giants on two series inside the Steelers 10.
Interceptions? Sacks? Pressure? Those were items missing for much of the season’s first half.
“We’re still a work in progress,” said cornerback Ross Cockrell, who teamed with Artie Burns to help keep Beckham out of the end zone. “It’s a long season. We got the last stretch and then the playoffs. So, we’re in this thing.”
On a day in which it took a while for its offense to kick into high gear, the Steelers defense took control. The unit scored first, a safety, when a Giants tackle was called for holding Harrison in the end zone on a play that began at the Giants 5. That made it 2-0.
After new kicker Randy Bullock booted a 44-yard field goal, his first of a 3-for-3 outing, the Steelers defense turned the entire thing inside out.
The Giants had a second down at the Steelers 9, looking to erase that 5-0 lead. Manning spotted tight end Larry Donnell open in the end zone. What he did not see was Timmons reading him the way the linebacker had seen it on tape. He stepped in front of the pass, leaped high and brought the ball down at the 2.
Then he ran it back to the New York 48.
“It’s about making those signature plays this time of year to get you out of the stadium,’’ Mike Tomlin said. “And that was a big one.”
“I saw the play, made a play, tried to score but didn’t score,’’ Timmons said.
That was OK because Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown took care of that. Three plays later, Roethlisberger scrambled to his right and threw a perfect pass and Brown made a circus catch in the back of the end zone. It came over cornerback Janoris Jenkins, Brown keeping one foot and half of his backside in bounds to secure his 11th touchdown reception of 2016.
“I thought the defender made a great play,’’ Roethlisberger said. “But A.B. is A.B.”
And Ladarius Green really became the Ladarius Green the Steelers wanted when they signed the tight end to a big free-agent contract in March. He caught his first touchdown with the Steelers, one of six receptions for 110 yards.
“He’s finding a comfortable seat on a moving train,’’ Tomlin said. “And we need him to.”
Green’s 20-yard touchdown catch from Roethlisberger on third down came just seven plays after the Giants crept within 14-7. Their touchdown came after Le’Veon Bell had a rare thing happen — he fumbled at the Steelers 17. Two plays later, Manning hit Rashad Jennings with a 13-yard touchdown pass.
It would be the only time New York (8-4) threatened. The Giants had just 234 yards in total offense, 56 rushing, and Timmons got 58 of those back with his interception return. Rookie Sean Davis would later intercept a Manning pass as well.
After getting just five interceptions through the first 10 games, the Steelers have five in the past two. They once were at the bottom of the league in sacks but since have climbed halfway up and have 13 in the past three games.
So what led the turnaround on defense?
“I just think we’re finding our rhythm,’’ Tomlin said.
“We’re not making anything mystical about it,’’ Timmons said. “We’re just enjoying the journey.”
Since losing, 35-30, to Dallas, which scored a lightning touchdown in the final minute, the Steelers have allowed just 30 points in three games. The Giants’ only scores came on that 17-yard, two-play series after Bell’s fumble, and with 26 seconds left in the game. That one-yard touchdown pass from Manning to rookie Sterling Shepard came on a drive aided by a personal foul against Stephon Tuitt and a pass interference by Mike Mitchell.
“I just can’t talk enough about how great they were,” Roethlisberger said of his defense.
Nobody laughed.
Ed Bouchette: ebouchette@post-gazette.com.
First Published: December 4, 2016, 10:08 p.m.
