WEEK FIVE: DENVER @ PITTSBURGH (+1.5, O/U 40.5)

Synopsis:

Þ Vic Fangio (15-21) vs. Mike Tomlin (146-80-1)

Þ Sun., Oct. 10, 2021 @ 1 P.M.

Þ Weather Forecast (via nflweather.com)

Three Keys

Better Situational Football

Among the more dissatisfying moments of Sunday’s loss to the Packers was the failure to generate successful plays in crucial moments. The two specific plays that immediately come to mind are the fourth down passing attempts to Najee and Juju that both were completed several yards behind the line to gain and met immediately by a Packers’ defense that anticipated the plays well.

The Najee play generated an expected points added (EPA) of -3.37 while the Juju play generated an EPA of -2.47. These two plays were measured to have taken over 5 points off of the board. Both times, the execution of the play design failed miserably.

On the throw to Najee, Pat Freiermuth was wide open on a seam route at the sticks but Ben failed to progress to his second read and immediately threw the ball to Najee where he was met by a multitude of defenders.

The throw to Juju was designed as a mesh route that would have popped for a major gain if they were going against man defense. The problem, however, is that Green Bay disguised their pre snap coverage and shifted to a zone that easily stopped the route before it could come close to the line to gain.

While it was a well-executed play by Green Bay, the Steelers would benefit from switching up looks to become less predictable in such a critical situation.

Increase Likelihood for Splash Plays

One of the spots where the defense shows the most room for improvement is not allowing long drives and getting off of the field in a quicker fashion.

The Steelers defensive drive report on Sunday showed four different drives by the Packers that lasted at least 4:50 on the play clock. Four drives had at least 3 first downs.

When giving up 131 yards on the ground without much resistance, the urgency heightens for the defense to get off of the field in a timely manner to avoid getting tired.

Another concern that Mike Tomlin mentioned in his Tuesday press conference would be the need to create more splash plays that helps the Steelers win the field possession game. With an offense that is struggling to move the ball down the field, there is a need for the defense to create short fields for the Steelers to win some football games.

More of Najee and Pat

Sunday saw the Steelers’s run game finally take a step forward as Najee Harris averaged 4.1 yards a carry and scored his first rushing touchdown of his career.

Through the first four weeks of the season, the Steelers’ leaders in mean yards after catch and mean EPA with the ball in their hands are Harris and fellow teammate Pat Freiermuth, respectively.

As the statistics suggest, there is clear value in the Steelers getting the ball into their playmakers’ hands. For an offense that is struggling to find its identity, sometimes feeding your young stars can be a productive place to start.