The Steelers defense is among the best in the NFL. Tuesday night, that defense was recognized by the rest of the league, as five Steelers, including three defensive players, were named to the Pro Bowl.
Outside linebacker T.J. Watt, defensive tackle Cameron Heyward and free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick were voted in as starters. It's the first Pro Bowl berth for Fitzpatrick, a second-year player acquired in September from the Dolphins for draft picks.
Watt and Heyward were both selected in 2018. The Steelers rank fourth in the NFL in total defense and lead the league in sacks and forced turnovers.
Guard David DeCastro and center Maurkice Pouncey also were selected, with Pouncey given the starting nod. It marks the 19th consecutive season in which the Steelers have had multiple Pro Bowl selections.
The Pro Bowl is the eighth for Pouncey, the most of any current Steelers player, while DeCastro was given the nod for the fourth time after not making it in 2018.
Fitzpatrick leads the Steelers with five interceptions and has a forced fumble and three fumble recoveries - tied for sixth in the NFL. He has 48 tackles, nine pass defenses, a tackle for a loss and a quarterback hit.
Heyward will be making his second consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl. He's been one of the most dominant defensive linemen in the league, recording 72 tackles, eight sacks - tied for 11th in the AFC - five pass defenses, 19 quarterback hits, 10 tackles for a loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Watt, a candidate for NFL Defensive Player of the Year, last week became the first player in team history to record at least 13 sacks in multiple seasons. The third-year player leads the AFC with 13 sacks, has 45 tackles, 31 quarterback hits, 14 tackles for a loss, two interceptions, seven pass defenses, five forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.
Watt was named to the game as an alternate in 2018, making the trip when another player backed out.
The Steelers' five Pro Bowl selections pales in comparison to the Ravens, who led the league with 12 selections, including quarterback Lamar Jackson, who led the fan voting.
Fan voting accounts for 33 percent of the selection process, with players and coaches representing the other two thirds.
Offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva, running backs James Conner and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster made it for the Steelers in 2018 but did not make the team this season.
The complete list can be found here.
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