They have the best individual defender in the NFL, but this will be more than just one episode of The TJ Watt Show after another. The 2024 Steelers’ defense is talented, and it’s a big part of why the team is off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2020. It also shows signs of developing into more than a one-man band.

“They have to be a catalyst for us,” coach Mike Tomlin said of his defense, “and they know that.”

The defense could be seen as the catalyst in the 13-6 win over the Broncos in Denver on Sunday, a week after it did the same in the 18-10 victory over the Falcons in Atlanta. Or perhaps a more accurate perspective would be to view the unit as their security blanket.

A security blanket, because even with minimal offensive production – 13 points, 1 touchdown one week after 18 points with no touchdowns – there’s a growing sense that as long as no one makes the mistake of putting the defense in a really bad position, or worse, showing up on the scoreboard as a defensive touchdown, everything will be fine.

“We have a veteran group,” Tomlin said matter-of-factly. “We’ve built a lot of talent over the years, to be honest. I expected (that level of performance). It’s appreciated, but it’s certainly expected.”

Expected and necessary, especially at this early stage of the season and a process that has produced a new offensive coordinator; 3 new quarterbacks and a new assistant coach to work with them; young offensive linemen who are either rookies or new to the starting lineup or both; and a group of wide receivers that lack proven depth behind George Pickens and a group of tight ends that lack proven depth behind Pat Freiermuth.

This offense is neither dazzling nor ruthlessly efficient, and certainly not anywhere near productive. The next category comes down to how one chooses to view their almosts, used here as a term for the handful of plays that are affected/undone by penalties. Do you see them as evidence of an impending turnaround, or as an indictment of a unit that is still doing the same self-destructive things in games that we first saw in early August during the season opener?

On the Steelers’ second series, for example, Justin Fields engineered a 12-play, 78-yard drive that historians will consider the first touchdown of the 2024 regular season. Those weighing the style points will have to admit it was well executed.

Fields converted both third downs of the drive, one to give the possession some momentum and the next to punctuate it with an exclamation point at the end. His 13-yard pass to Pickens converted a third-and-5 from the 27-yard line; his back-shoulder throw to Darnell Washington in the end zone was the way to place the ball based on coverage, and then it got even sweeter when the man known for his blocking made one of those nifty hand catches usually turned over by tight ends who are paid big bucks and/or have a billionaire pop star touring around town.

Mixed in was the offensive line, which shook loose Jaylen Warren for 18 yards on three carries, plus a pair of plays where Fields showed off the rare skillset that ultimately earned him the 11th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. He used his feet to take advantage of a crease in the pass rush and exploited it for 16 yards, then was on target and on time to Freiermuth for a 14-yard hookup that brought the Steelers close enough to go with the back-shoulder fade for Washington.

The sum of that possession seemed to offer hope when Chris Boswell’s PAT flew through the posts for a 7-0 lead with 1:56 left in the first quarter, but it proved to be a surprise.

Even as the offense continued to beat itself up over the head with holding penalties that wiped out chunks of yardage, turned promising possessions into just one of eight points launched by recently signed Corliss Waitman, and then upped the ante with an offensive pass interference penalty that took a touchdown off the board, the defense was there. It was there to confuse and bewilder rookie quarterback Bo Nix, and by extension, frustrate coach and play-caller Sean Payton.

The perfect example of this came midway through the third quarter, with the Steelers leading 10-0. Payton reached into his bag of tricks and pulled out a rabbit, snapping a direct snap to running back RB Javonte Williams who then threw to Nix, who was originally lined up out wide, who then threw downfield where WR Josh Reynolds completed the play for a 49-yard gain to the 7-yard line. Making matters worse, CB Donte Jackson was rattled on the play and had to be replaced by Cory Trice Jr., whose entire regular season resume only included the 7 defensive snaps he played in the opener against the Falcons.

But on his second snap of the game, which happened to be the 9th of his career, Trice responded to the fact that there were no receivers in his zone by sliding into the middle of the end zone, where he was in perfect position to get between Nix and his intended target: WR Courtland Sutton. And the icing on the cake was that when Nix did throw the ball, Trice made the interception like a seasoned ball-hawk.

“We felt like we were close all day with the pressure, and for Cory to make a play like that at a big time was huge,” Watt said, “but we’re not surprised. We love making plays. We love seeing who’s going to make plays. We know there’s plays to be made, but we try really hard not to do more than we have to. We trust each other and I think we’re only going to get better as a defense.”

There were other examples – Damontae Kazee capping the play with an interception, and Isaiahh Loudermilk getting a leg up and hitting a ball at the line of scrimmage on third-and-6 from the 16-yard line, turning a potential disaster into a red-zone field goal. Add in the trademark Watt plays; a sack and two tackles for loss by Alex Highsmith; DeShon Elliott being on the ball enough to lead the team with nine tackles; Joey Porter Jr. turning Courtland Sutton into just another guy who ranked fifth on his team in receptions, and it was good enough.

It was good enough because Fields didn’t give the ball away, and Smith’s play-calling did its best to limit the chance of that happening. Expecting such a formula to continue to generate regular-season wins is unrealistic, but in the meantime, it’s working. What’s certain is that the formula’s shelf life isn’t long enough for the Steelers to rack up enough wins to get into the postseason and win when they get there.

But as they continue to evolve the offense into something more efficient and productive, this is what they have.

“I always ask more of (the defense) because they have a lot to offer,” Tomlin said. “Obviously, when the offense faces some of the challenges that they do in terms of non-regulars in the lineup and hostile environments, (the defense) knows that.”

And what is even better than knowing this is developing more boys who are able to perform and contribute.