How good was Joe Haden on Sunday?
When a reporter asked to talk with Coty Sensabaugh, he originally declined the interview saying, "Nah, that's the guy you want." He was nodding his head in the direction of his teammate a few feet over to his right.
When he finally did relent, Sensabaugh said of Haden: "Man, he put on a show ... That's the best way to put it."
When Haden made his way to his locker following the game, he was immediately greeted by a slip hanging from his stall informing him that he was to take yet another one of the NFL's "random" drug tests. If there was any consolation to him, unlike the Monday night game in Tampa two weeks ago, at least he didn't have to pee in a cup at 3 a.m. at the airport.
No, there was nothing illegal or enhanced about Haden's performance. It was just another vintage game from the nine-year veteran.
"He's been there and seen it all, been to Pro Bowls," Mike Hilton was saying of Haden. "He's still one of the top corners in the game. He showed that today."
How good was Haden in the Steelers' potentially season-saving 41-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons?
Consider the following: Julio Jones entered Week 5 with an NFL-leading 502 receiving yards and had been averaging 125.5 yards per game and 17.3 yards per catch.
When the two-time All-Pro receiver left Heinz Field late Sunday afternoon, he did so with just five catches for 62 yards and not much to say:
The last time Jones had fewer yards in a game, you'd have to go back to last Dec. 18 at Tampa Bay. Oh, and did I forget to mention that all five of Jones' catches on Sunday came in garbage time, the fourth quarter of a one-sided Steelers victory?
"That's always a good feeling when they feel like they have to play catch-up," Haden said. "When teams have to play catch-up, they play a little outside themselves and try to throw the ball a little more. And that's when (T.J.) Watt and those dudes can get after the quarterback."
But it wasn't as if Atlanta didn't try to get the ball into the hands of Jones. Matt Ryan targeted him four times over the first three quarters but couldn't connect on any.
"Yeah, definitely not by design," Falcons coach Dan Quinn said.
The problem for Jones, Ryan, Quinn and the Falcons was a virtuoso performance from the Steelers defense, Haden in particular. Sunday was a textbook example of how the defense is supposed to look — rush and coverage working in tandem. The difference, Haden believed, was that the defense was all on the same page.
"We did a great job of just executing our game plan," he said. "Exactly whatever we wanted to do, we did. We studied it very well and executed it."
Up front, the Steelers made life miserable on Ryan, who was sacked a season-high six times and hit 11 times in total. Afterward, the veteran quarterback sported clearly visible bruises and welts on his hip and shoulder.
The pressure by the front seven, led by Watt and his three sacks, was the difference in Haden being able to minimize Jones.
"Just trying to get my hands on him, just trying to disrupt him," Haden was saying. "They do a lot of timing and the D-line did such a good job of getting them off their rhythm and timing. If I disrupt that and throw them off, the rush and coverage work together."
On a first and 10 with 8:48 left in the second quarter, Ryan's pass to Jones over the middle was behind the receiver with rookie Terrell Edmunds nearly picking it off.
With 5:12 remaining in the second quarter, Ryan tried to hook up with Jones on a second-and-19 from the Pittsburgh 23. Throwing deep down the left sideline, Haden was all over Jones, forcing an overthrow.
Following the two-minute warning to end the first half, Ryan again looked deep to Jones but again couldn't connect on a second-and-11, as Hilton's corner blitz forced yet another high throw.
Jones didn't record his first catch until the fourth quarter on this 18-yard reception. The 6-foot-3 receiver needed every millimeter of his 40-inch vertical:
The Falcons, who are just two years removed from a Super Bowl appearance, fell to 1-4 after dropping their third straight. Against the Steelers' defense, the NFL's 13th-ranked offense looked out of sorts after averaging 34 points per game the previous three weeks.
The much-anticipated showdown between the NFL's two best receivers, Jones and Antonio Brown, never quite materialized. Atlanta's leading receiver was ... tight end Austin Hooper.
If that left Jones frustrated, he didn't voice his displeasure or let it show on the field, Haden was telling me when I asked:
According to the 29-year-old Haden, this was the "second or third time" he'd been tasked with following a No. 1 receiver around the field. He also did it last Christmas night in Houston against the Texans' DeAndre Hopkins. In that game, Hopkins was held to four catches for 65 yards.
Having a cornerback that travels with one receiver is hardly a new concept, but it's been a rare sight for the Steelers in recent years. That, in part, is why they signed Haden after he was cut by the Browns last summer.
"I love that assignment," Haden was saying. "I love the fact that (Mike Tomlin) feels he can do that with me: Put me up against the No. 1 guy on a team. I always look forward to the challenge."
Well, as fate would have it, the Steelers have another top receiver on tap next week when they take on the AFC North-leading Bengals in Cincinnati. Could Haden follow A.J. Green around?
"Never know," Haden said with a sly smile.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Steelers vs. Falcons, Heinz Field, Oct. 7, 2018 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS