Critical Piece Of Steelers' Week 2 And 3 Victories Not Receiving Nearly Enough Credit

The Pittsburgh Steelers sit atop the AFC North after three weeks of the 2024 NFL season. One of the biggest storylines is the fact that AFC North teams have just a combined five wins, with three being earned by Head Coach Mike Tomlin and co. In a season full of injuries throughout the league, the Steelers have also been dealt a tough hand to this point when it comes to key players going down. The most recent example is rookie offensive tackle Troy Fautanu being ruled out for the remainder of the regular season with a dislocation of his kneecap.

Amidst all of the injury trouble, one of the initial ones that caused worry was the brutal season-ending injury suffered by punter Cameron Johnston. The Steelers went out in free agency to sign the veteran to a three-year, $9 million contract. The goal was to rectify a position that has plagued the organization in recent years, but he took a nasty hit in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, which quickly put him on the shelf for the year.

This led to a reunion with a familiar face not named Pressley Harvin III. With a Week 2 contest against the Denver Broncos, Tomlin went out and got Corliss Waitman, who had experience punting in Denver in the past. It now appears as if he will stay on as the team's permanent punter and holder throughout the 2024 campaign.

In Denver, Pittsburgh was able to escape with an ugly 13-6 win. A dominant defensive performance helped an offense that was solid in the first half. One area of that game that wasn't touched on too much was special teams. Waitman had eight punts with an average of 53 yards per boot. Despite playing in higher altitude, special teams coordinator, Danny Smith had to be happy with his new punter.

One could argue that Waitman was both consistent and deep with his punts due to the playing atmosphere in Denver, but he played another critical role in Week 3. Three of the Steelers' first four drives resulted in punts, but Waitman did his job each time. He had only three chances throughout the game, but stayed consistent with Week 2, averaging 52 yards.

Waitman currently leads the NFL with roughly 52.7 yards per punt (at least 10 punts). It has been a long time since, even through just three weeks, fans in the Steel City can claim that their punter is one of the league's best. With a defense as dominant as Pittsburgh's, field position is extremely critical and Waitman has stepped up in a big way since signing with the team.

The injury to Johnston was unfortunate, but when a defense has only allowed 26 points in three games, all a team needs to ask of a punter is consistency. That is exactly what has happened since Waitman came back to the Steel City. The loss of Johnston was once considered as a major issue, but now Waitman has completely flipped that narrative in two weeks.

Steelers' Recipe For Success In 2024 Working Out Perfectly Through Three Weeks

Don't turn the ball over, play great defense, and control the time of possession are three imperative metrics for Pittsburgh in 2024. The first two have been incredibly solid the first three weeks, and Waitman has done a phenomenal job with the third. Consistent punting leads to backing teams up in their own territories. This is when the Steelers' defense thrives most. The result of successfully executing the game plan to this point is a record of 3-0.

Do you think Waitman has been a bit of an underrated hero during his two weeks with the team? Let us know in the comments below!

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