Pittsburgh Steelers safety, Terrell Edmunds, brought the heat against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Edmunds had 5 tackles during the game and at one point, was seen "pancaking" the Panthers left tackle.
It was obvious early in the game that a different Steelers' defense was present. It was not the team that gave up 215 yards against the Baltimore Ravens last week. Last week's defense was so bad that if Ravens QB Tyler Huntley had held up a sign saying, "We're going to run," the Steelers still wouldn't have been able to stop it.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 22: Nick Chubb #24 of the Cleveland Browns rushes ahead of Terrell Edmunds #34 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 22, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Steelers' Edmunds and Defense Feasted in Carolina
The Steelers' defense absolutely dominated Carolina and shut down their run game. Carolina has taken a lot of pride in improving their rushing offense, seeing it as their identity. They have developed new schemes under interim head coach, Steve Wilks they call the "Arby's package." This refers to the tremendous number of jumbo plays they employ.
However, the Steelers stripped them of their "identity" on Sunday by holding them to only 21 rushing yards total.
While the entire team played really well, Edmunds had the most entertaining play of the day. He absolutely pancaked the Panthers LT Ikem Ekwonu on the way to attempting to tackle quarterback, Sam Darnold.
I hate to be the fun police here regarding the Terrell Edmunds/Ikem Ekwonu play from Sunday, but the Panthers' rookie LT was tripped on Edmunds' rush. Edmunds didn't really "pancake" him.
— Josh Carney (@ByJoshCarney) December 19, 2022
Watch Ekwonu's right leg.
Good rep from Edmunds though. #Steelers pic.twitter.com/21AnGYYM6S
While some may say there was some tripping involved, it is still a fantastic play that shows Edmunds' heart and hustle.
Eakin Howard/Getty Images
Monday in the locker room, Edmunds was asked about the pancake:
"Man, it is something we have been working on [all year]. They said we just had to bring the physicality."
When asked if the play occurred because of "good leverage" or "pure strength," Edmunds dismissed them both:
"It was a blitz, I just had to keep on going."
After the game, Ekwonu addressed the media about the game as a whole:
"We didn't do a lot of the things that we wanted to do, things we knew we'd have to do to win. That's a thing we respect. [Coach Wilks is] always going to call it how he sees it, not going to sugarcoat anything. It helps us to refocus and know what we've got to work on."
Edmunds has been with the Steelers for five seasons after being drafted in the first round in 2018. Edmunds is having the best season of his career so far in 2022. This works out nicely for him as he will be facing contract negotiations this off-season. Will the Steelers extend him or let him walk? The Steelers' defense as a whole is improving and after a few inconsistent seasons, Edmunds is a part of that change for the better.
It is also hard to not like his humble demeanor. He stood with the media Monday talking about that tackle, and his push to run through or over anyone who was in his way, and gave credit to what the coaches have taught them. He didn't showboat or brag about his own talents.
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