Defense leaves something to be desired
Turnover margin continues to move in wrong direction due to lack of fumbles, interceptions
So much attention has been focused on the poor play of the offense and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, but the Steelers defense is not performing to the level that had it among the best — if not the best — in the NFL the past two seasons.
And it is leading to some tense moments among the players and coaching staff.
After leading the league in takeaways (38) in 2019 and interceptions (18) in 2020, they have only one interception and two fumble recoveries in four games and have not converted any of those turnovers into points.
After becoming the first team in NFL history to lead the league in sacks four consecutive seasons, they rank in the bottom half of the league (19th) with eight sacks.
And after being the only team to not allow opponents to average more than 200 yards passing in a game last season, they are allowing an average of 258.8 yards after four games — 60 yards more than their league-leading total in 2020.
Some of that came to a boiling point in Sunday’s loss in Green Bay when inside linebacker Devin Bush and defensive coordinator Keith Butler got into a heated argument on the sideline. It is not known what ignited the argument, but the Steelers were having problems shuttling defenders on and off the field between plays — once forcing coach Mike Tomlin to call a timeout before Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers could quick-snap them into a penalty.
At his weekly news conference Tuesday, Tomlin said one of the things his defense did better was preventing the long pass plays for touchdowns that hurt them the
previous two games. Rodgers’ longest completion on Sunday was 28 yards.
“I thought we were better in keeping a lid on it,” Tomlin said. “It doesn’t take a large number of plays to change the trajectory of a game. We’ve experienced that lately. It was good to play 60 minutes of football and keep a lid on it. When you’re keeping a lid on it, it gives you a chance to win and makes them snap it again. That’s a prerequisite for good defense.”
On the other hand …
The problem with the lack of takeaways by the defense is the offense has turned the ball over five times — four interceptions and one fumble. Those turnovers have resulted in 24 points for the opponent. The 24-point turnover differential has been significant because the Steelers’ overall point differential is minus-26, eighth worst in the league.
“We can start by being in more games,” Tomlin said when asked how to change the differential. “When you’re down by multiple scores, you don’t have many opportunities to create that havoc that’s conducive to producing turnovers. [Opponents] hide the football, they function in a more conservative manner.”
Cleaning it up
Tomlin said one of the bright spots in the loss in Green Bay was the continued improvement of the running game.
Najee Harris rushed for 62 yards on 15 carries, his best showing of the season, and had just one run for negative yards. The Steelers also had just one run — a 7-yarder by Harris — negated by a holding penalty against rookie tackle Dan Moore.
Tomlin said it was a significant step.
“You get run-game penalties, some holding penalties, man, that essentially kills drives,” Tomlin said. “We had some of those in recent weeks. Those are good building blocks for us.”
However, the Steelers did not make any commitment to stick with the run. On five occasions in the first half, Harris gained at least 4 yards on first down and the Steelers passed on second down. Harris had carries on back-toback plays just twice against the Packers — the first coming on the opening possession.
“We didn’t get enough quantity runs, but that’s dictated by other variables,” Tomlin said. “We’ve got to continually work so we get more attempts, so we get more balance, over 60 minutes.”
Walk the walk
For a coach who can alternately be loquacious and terse, Tomlin said it’s his actions that are important right now in the midst of a three-game losing streak, not his words.
“It’s more important what I do than what I say — the attitude and energy I bring to these work days,” Tomlin said.
“I want [the players] to mirror that behavior in their preparation. I talk to the leaders, the experienced guys, about that — it’s less about what we say and it’s more about what we do and our approach to our circumstances, particularly when dealing with young guys. And we’ve got some young guys.
“Forget what comes out of my mouth. They’re studying how I move, they’re studying the attitude and energy I bring. The can-do approach is extremely helpful when facing the adversity this game presents.”