Steelers 4 Downs: Third-down defense among best in NFL since bye
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1. Third down’s the charm
Over the first two games of the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers were allowing opponents to convert third downs at a rate that, in relation to the current standings, would be the worst in the NFL.
Over their past five games (since their bye), the Steelers are preventing third-down conversions at a rate that would be the best in the league.
Cincinnati and New England in Weeks 1-2 combined to get first downs on 17 of 33 third-down plays against the Steelers, a 51.5% rate that is below what the league-worst Chicago defense has allowed throughout the season (48.7%).
The Steelers allowed more third-down conversions in those two games than they have over their past five games (16). In November and December, Steelers opponents are 16 for 56. That 28.6% rate is better than the NFL-best Tennessee defense has allowed this season (31.6%).
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Third-down success often comes via successes on first and second downs. To wit: In those first two games, 11 of the Bengals’ and Patriots’ opportunities were on third-and-3 or less, with only three non-kneeldowns coming on third-and-10 or more. Since then, the Steelers have faced fewer opponent third-down tries with 3 or fewer yards to go (38) than 10-plus yards to go (42).
2. The front zone
Each of the seven drives Mitch Trubisky directed last week against the Ravens made their way into Baltimore territory. Just two resulted in touchdowns. And while the difficulties in the “red zone” often are cited in regard to the Steelers’ struggles scoring points, their deficiencies aren’t defined neatly by plays merely inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.
Though the Steelers rank 25th in TD conversion percentage (48.8%) of red-zone drives (those that have at least one snap inside the opponents’ 20), they actually have the eighth-best TD rate when achieving a goal-to-go situation (79.0%).
Going deeper, footballoutsiders.com’s all-encompassing metric “defense-adjusted value over average” rates the Steelers’ as the sixth-best offense in the NFL once it gets to goal-to-go, and it has the Steelers ranked 21st in the red zone overall. In other words, the numbers suggest the Steelers are OK when they get close to the goal line but are poor when in that range from the 20 yard-line in to the 10 or so.
But where the Steelers have been at their worst on offense is what Football Outsiders calls the “front zone,” while in opponents’ territory between the 20- and 39-yard lines. The Steelers rank second-to-last in the NFL in DVOA efficiency in that area. They had four drives stall there last week.
3. Playing them tight
The Ravens last week deployed some tight coverage against two of the Steelers’ most dangerous offensive weapons in the passing game. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson had an average “cushion” of only 3.2 yards at the line of scrimmage. That figure tied All-Pro Justin Jefferson for the lowest of any WR/TE during Week 14.
Tight end Pat Freiermuth was tied for the third-smallest average cushion at the line of scrimmage for any tight end (4.7 yards), but once the ball was delivered, the 1.5 average yards of separation between Freiermuth and the closest defender when he was targeted was the smallest of all tight ends in the NFL last week and trailed only Las Vegas receiver Davante Adams among all pass catchers.
4. No touchbacks
In his return to the active roster after an injury absence last week, Chris Boswell booted none of his three kickoffs for touchbacks.
That continues a trend for the season in which just 31.6% of Steelers kickoffs are booted into the end zone and not returned. That’s down from 44.5% last season and is the second-lowest ratio of touchbacks in the NFL to Green Bay.
Thirteen of Boswell’s 30 kickoffs this season have gone for touchbacks, good for a 43.3% rate that is sixth among his eight NFL seasons.
Boswell’s replacement for the previous four games, Matthew Wright, sits just below Boswell at 41.7% of his 36 kickoffs going for touchbacks.