Steelers 17, Rams 12: Much Praise For Team's Dominant Defense

PITTSBURGH, PA - It took ten weeks (including a bye), but the Steelers finally find themselves above .500 this season after a 17-12 win Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams at Heinz Field. Here's what football reporters from around the country thought about the game:

Kevin Seifert, ESPN: "Well well well. Mike Tomlin has remade the Steelers on the fly, behind a swarming defense and two quarterbacks (Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges) who had no real experience entering this season. The defense alone, fueled in part by newcomers Minkah Fitzpatrick and Devin Bush, appears equipped to keep the team in playoff contention."

Jarrett Bell, USA Today: "You can only hope to contain Minkah Fitzpatrick. A week after returning an interception 96 yards for a touchdown, the Steelers safety scored on a 46-yard fumble return. It was his third consecutive game with a takeaway, the streak starting with a two-pick night against the Dolphins, the team that traded him away in September to open the door for him to a new world as a roaming playmaker."

Bryan DeArdo, CBS Sports: "Pittsburgh's defense, a unit that entered the game with the second most forced turnovers in the NFL, continued to come up with turnovers on Sunday. Minkah Fitzpatrick, who leads the Steelers with five interceptions since joining Pittsburgh in Week 3, has four interceptions and two touchdowns in his last three games. Pittsburgh's defense was also able

to put consistent pressure on quarterback Jared Goff, with T.J. Watt coming up with two of the Steelers' four sacks."

Nick Shook, NFL.com: "In recent years, the Steelers gradually shifted from a franchise that won with its defense to one that put up gaudy offensive numbers and did enough to win when it didn't
have the ball. We're headed back in the other direction, with Sunday's game serving as strong evidence that western Pennsylvania's fans of the Steel Curtain again have plenty to cheer for. Pittsburgh is again a team that wins with defense, with no one making a more obvious play-by-play impact than safety Minkah Fitzpatrick."

Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times: "If this Pittsburgh game was a measuring stick, the Steelers cracked it over the heads of the visitors, especially with the unseasoned Mason Rudolph at quarterback and star running back James Conner watching in street clothes. This is a game the Rams should have won."