The Steelers' 26-23 overtime loss to the Ravens at Heinz Field on Sunday came with plenty of negatives. But one major positive was the return of starting inside linebacker Vince Williams, who had been out with injury for the past three games.
He would become a huge part of a solid defensive performance that almost led the Steelers to an upset. Let's look closer at how he performed:
Mark Barron was the inside linebacker added in free agency who was going to stabilize the middle of the field for the Steelers. But outside of a strong game against the Bengals, his contributions have been lacking.
Williams' return brought a much needed boost to the position against the Ravens. He led the team with nine tackles, while also sacking Lamar Jackson and registering a pass defended. You could feel his presence at every level of the defense, and it could be a major factor in their improvement this season.
Williams' most impressive contributions have often come from his interior pass rush. Watch how he twists around Cam Heyward on this sack. Guard Bradley Bozeman had to help double Heyward, but Williams was too quick for him to cut off his path to Jackson.
Once he was in the backfield, he wrapped up the speedy quarterback and ended the drive with the third down sack:
Those are the plays the Steelers have come to expect from Williams each season. He's had 12.5 sacks the past two seasons combined, and now with his first sack of 2019 the Steelers might see him be a significant contributor to their sack total.
But Williams isn't just a splash-play interior blitzing linebacker. He's developed into the traditional buck inside linebacker role that eats up blockers and becomes the battering ram for other linebackers to make plays.
Barron and Devin Bush are mack-style linebackers who can take on blockers in the hole, but are more suited to cover lateral ground and make plays in space. Williams' contributions had been sorely missed in helping defend the run.
Here's one of the more impressive plays against the run from Sunday. The Ravens give the ball to Mark Ingram on a power run with both Bozeman and tight end Nick Boyle turning into lead blockers. Williams submarines both of them, blowing up the entire play. He and T.J. Watt would combine for the tackle-for-loss:
That's the battering ram the Steelers need to blow up teams that try to overpower their defensive front with the run. He's like the Roosevelt Nix of the defense for how physical he plays and wins in his gaps.
But Williams also contributed against the pass with an impressive breakup when Jackson thought he could pick on him. Watch Boyle run a quick out to try to buy the Ravens space when backed up into their own end zone. Jackson's eyes go right to him because that was the matchup they wanted to exploit.
Williams waits for Boyle to cut and then uses a solid trail technique to knock the pass away:
There will be times when Williams won't match up well with a more athletic tight end, but he's still able to be in position to consistently challenge passes within Keith Butler's scheme. Don't forget, after Heyward, he's the longest tenured Steeler on defense.
Barron and Bush have been finding their feet in the schemes and getting to where they need to be. But Williams is already there and can be the support that glues the unit together.
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