There's plenty to dislike about these 2019 Steelers so far. I get it. I mean, just check our coverage from the team's 28-26 loss to the Seahawks Sunday at Heinz Field.
Yikes.
None of that is too positive, and rightly so. The Steelers are 0-2, the defense has conceded 33 and 28 points in those losses, the offense has no identity and Ben Roethlisberger's elbow injury may or may not require surgery. So where do you turn if you want to find something positive to discuss?
You shine your spotlight on No. 22:
That's newly signed Steven Nelson in his second game as a member of the Steelers, doing exactly what the team hired him this offseason to do: Get his hands on the ball. Make a difference. Throughout this contest vs. the Seahawks, Nelson was largely matched against rookie wide receiver DK Metcalf, a physical specimen who had four inches and 35 pounds on his opponent.
The Seahawks liked what they saw in that matchup. That was obvious from their first play from scrimmage:
Scratch that. That was obvious from their first two plays from scrimmage. Here's what came after that first reception by Metcalf:
Metcalf got that first one — even if Nelson couldn't believe it. Speaking with Nelson after the game at Heinz Field, I brought up the early reception, and Nelson wasn't going to let the question slide without challenging it:
"Was that a reception, the first one? Was it a reception?" Nelson said, skeptical eyes meeting the camera.
Yeah, it was, but that's Nelson right there in a nutshell, and that's what the Steelers need more of moving forward. Nelson essentially batted my question down, just as he challenged every target that came his way on Sunday:
Even with Metcalf pushing off and literally poking him in the eyes, Nelson stayed right on his hip, playing the ball and preventing a completion. Two penalties on Metcalf, negative yardage for the offense. And when he didn't directly get his hands on the ball? He still stayed pinned to Metcalf's side, running stride-for-stride with the 4.3-second-40 speedster:
"People fail to realize I'm still an older guy," Nelson was telling me. "I know I felt the flow of the game. I made a lot of good plays. It seemed like their game plan was to target me, and it wasn't successful."
Nelson was quick to change gears here. That's a lot of positive talk, and the team's 0-2. That, above all, takes center stage.
"Besides all that, man, we didn't get the result that we wanted," he continued. "We just gotta come back and keep working hard and strive to get better."
He's right, of course. This Steelers team has work to do — real work, and a lot of it — to climb out of this hole and to establish itself as a contender in the AFC playoff picture. While admitting the loss stings, Nelson also said he doesn't feel the team is down and out by any means. Spirits may have been low in the locker room following this defeat, but the team still feels the same chemistry fans and media alike clamored about throughout OTAs and training camp.
"I like all the guys on the team, and I think that helps our bond and our relationship, and that allows us to play together pretty well," Nelson said. "We're also, like, friends outside of football as well. That definitely helps a lot ... Everybody gets hyped. Everybody rallies together. It's exciting to help try to build each other up in that way ...
"I think we did a good job today. We had two turnovers today. We didn't have any interceptions, but we had two turnovers collectively as a defense. So I think that's a start. It's just our second game. Last week, we didn't get any turnovers. This week we had two. So we just gotta keep building on that."
OK, OK. One last bit of positivity from Nelson. This game aside, both losses aside, Sunday's matchup with the Seahawks marked Nelson’s first regular-season action here at Heinz Field for the Steelers. That had to feel pretty cool, right?
"To put on that Steelers uniform, man, really means a lot to me," Nelson said. "To run out there and just play in that uniform, man, is real exciting for me."
