The Pittsburgh Steelers earned a convincing win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5. As expected, running back Jaylen Warren stole the show with an outstanding performance that included an 80-yard touchdown reception and a 50-yard TD run, while Aaron Rodgers earned glowing praise for being the first Steelers QB since Terry Bradshaw in 1982 to record three passing touchdowns in three straight games in the same season.
But the Steelers' run defense shutting down Jonathan Taylor was a major contributing factor in the win, and somehow, rookie Gabriel Rubio is going unnoticed.
Rubio, Pittsburgh's sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, made the initial 53-man roster, but didn't suit up for his first regular-season action until Week 5 against the Colts. Rubio was promoted to the active roster to help fill in for the loss of Derrick Harmon, who landed on IR this past week with a foot injury.
And Rubio did not disappoint.
Though he only saw the field for 14 total snaps, Rubio played 10 run-defense snaps. On those 10 snaps, the Steelers never allowed a Colts ball carrier to gain more than two yards (you read that right)!
| Rubio's Run Defense Snap |
Play Result |
|---|---|
| 1 |
2 yards |
| 2 |
-1 yard |
| 3 |
1 yard |
| 4 |
0 yards |
| 5 |
0 yards |
| 6 |
2 yards |
| 7 |
1 yard |
| 8 |
-2 yards |
| 9 |
2 yards |
| 10 |
2 yards |
On 10 run defense snaps with Rubio on the field, the Steelers defense allowed just 7 total rushing yards on 10 carries (0.7 yards per carry). Doing some simple math, Pittsburgh allowed 59 yards on 14 carries (4.2 yards per carry) when Rubio was not on the field.
To be fair, let's add some context to this.
Rubio's usage was largely determined by the game situation. The rookie typically only saw the field on third-and-short or fourth-and-short situations. Thus, the ability for the Colts to hit explosive plays in this setting greatly decreased when the goal was to move the chains. It's also worth mentioning that the Steelers surrendered a touchdown to Tyler Warren on a sneak on one of the plays in which Rubio was on the field.
But that doesn't take away from his dominance in his first showing.
While Rubio didn't offer much on his four pass-rush snaps in this contest, he was a menace in run defense. The 6'5'', 321-pound defensive tackle didn't give an inch at the point of attack, while displaying A+ effort when chasing the ball carrier laterally.
Though Rubio was credited with just one run stop, he earned three tackles on 10 run-defense snaps; his ability to control the point of attack was critical to the team's success. The All-22 tape showed off his dominance .
It's also worth mentioning that Rubio was the third-highest-graded Steelers defender in Week 5 despite playing just 14 snaps. Rubio's 68.8 overall PFF grade trailed only defensive back Jalen Ramsey and nose tackle Yahya Black [$].
This is no easy feat when asking to slow down an All-Pro talent like Jonathan Taylor. The three-time Pro Bowler earned just 45 yards on his 15 carries against the Steelers, which proved to be one of the least productive full games of his NFL career.
The sample was small, and the game situation may have contributed to his success, but Gabriel Rubio was fantastic in run defense in his first regular-season action in the NFL. He was the unsung hero of the Week 5 victory. And with Harmon out for the foreseeable future , he'll have a chance to build on his quietly awesome debut.
This article was originally published on www.stillcurtain.com as Gabriel Rubio's NFL debut showed Steelers may have found a hidden gem .
