For all its faults, for all the yards it allowed this season, for the lead it let slip away in Cincinnati, the Steelers defense did what it often has done throughout the 2015 season — stood tall when it counted. Along the way, it accomplished a feat unseen since their great 1970s Super Bowl dynasty.
Ryan Shazier’s second forced fumble of the game in which he ripped the ball out of Bengals halfback Jeremy Hill’s hands at the 20 with 1:23 left in what seemed to be a losing cause for the Steelers Saturday night has become the norm for their defense.