The Dallas Cowboys have secured their place in the NFL playoffs, while the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to fight for one of the coveted AFC Wildcard openings. Dan Quinn put together one of the best defenses in the league in Dallas. Through 16 weeks, the Cowboys have the NFL’s No. 7 defense, allowing opponents to pass for just under 300 yards per game so far.
Although the Pittsburgh Steelers struggled on the offensive end most of the time — and later parted ways with offensive coordinator Matt Canada — they showed their streak in Saturday’s upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The Steelers have a surprising amount of talent like TJ Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick and their 2023 first round NFL draft pick Joey Porter Jr., but the Steelers have struggled at times on defense and are currently 21st in the NFL allowing 348 yards. about the game.
A bright spot? Pittsburgh has played its best defense when it matters most, allowing just 29 touchdowns to opponents this season. Only five other NFL teams have pledged less in 2023.
As Mike Tomlin and company try to make a late playoff run, they added a potential game-changer to the defense, according to reports Tuesday night. Jaylon Smith signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers and could be a valuable piece on a defense that needs help complimenting TJ Watt, according to his agent. Although it was considered a gamble at the time, the Dallas Cowboys selected the former Notre Dame star with the 34th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Smith was recovering from a serious knee injury and did not see the field in his first season in the league. But in 2017, Jaylon Smith was fully healthy and began to show his potential. Smith finished his second NFL season in 2017 with 81 combined tackles (50 solo), two sacks, two forced fumbles and one sack in 16 games and six starts.
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