Copyright Newsweek
The Pittsburgh Steelers made big news when they took down the darlings of the AFC, Indianapolis Colts, on Sunday at home with a 27-20 victory. Following the game, the Colts fell to 7-2 while the Steelers are 5-3, and both are eyeing playoff opportunities if they keep bringing home the wins. Now, the NFL is taking notice of one high-caliber player on the Steelers' roster. On Wednesday, the league announced that it named linebacker Alex Highsmith the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 9. Highsmith and the rest of the Steelers' defense had a stellar game. Pittsburgh clocked six sacks and five takeaways during the contest, and Highsmith took the credit for two sacks of Colts quarterback Daniel Jones. He wrapped up the game with four tackles, two sacks for a loss of 17 yards, three tackles for a loss and a forced fumble, according to NFL research. Read more: Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers Gets Brutally Honest Despite Big Win Following the win, Highsmith spoke with the media about what it meant to get the big win. He gave credit to the team's culture. "We came out and we did what we know we can do this week," he said. "We came out and we obviously stopped the run. That's where it starts. "And then our culture came alive. We had five turnovers. When we do that, we're an amazing defense." He added: "We've got to put more performances like that together. I'm confident we'll continue to stack this and play like this every week from here on out. We've got to continue to play like that." This marks the third time Highsmith has scored the AFC Defensive Player of the Week award. He also picked up the honor in Week 2 of the 2023 season following a win over the Cleveland Browns and Week 11 of the 2022 season after a game against the New Orleans Saints. The Steelers are No. 1 in the NFC North going into Week 10, but the 3-5 Ravens are coming off a win with Lamar Jackson back, and they're No. 2. Highsmith and the Steelers will look to continue their strong defensive numbers on Sunday against the Chargers.
