The Steelers have no right being anywhere near a playoff race. Not when they’re down a future Hall of Fame QB in Ben Roethlisberger, when they're giving carries to practice squad guys and when they're generating points at a clip that looks straight out of the pre-Chuck Noll era. And yet, here they are, with a 5-4 record and a soft upcoming schedule that includes games against the overhyped Browns and winless Bengals. This injury-ravaged, offensively-challenged squad that began the year 1-4 now has a 53 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to Football Outsiders.
And for that, you can thank a defense that is fast, opportunistic, balanced and — most alarmingly for opponents — getting better each week.
Is the curtain rising on another dominant Steelers defense?
Let’s break down how this unit has propped up a nearly pulseless offense and kept Pittsburgh in playoff contention.
Let's start with the pass rush, which has been nothing short of fierce. The Steelers have racked up 33 sacks through their first nine games, which ranks behind only the Carolina Panthers (36) among all NFL teams. Defensive Player of the Year candidate T.J. Watt leads the team and places fifth among all players with 9.5 QB takedowns. Bud Dupree (six sacks) and Cam Heyward (5.5) have also brought the pain.
Sacks are great, but the Steelers' pass-rushing prowess goes beyond that. They're often harassing QBs even when they don't register a sack, giving opponents less time to throw and potentially forcing them into bad decisions (more on that later). Pittsburgh has generated QB pressure on 27.6 percent of pass attempts, according to Pro Football Reference. That ranks third in the league, behind the San Francisco 49ers (31.8 percent) and Jacksonville Jaguars (28 percent). They have also knocked down the QB on 8.8 percent of pass attempts, which ranks fourth among teams this year.
In the running game, the Steelers are surrendering just 3.9 yards per attempt (tied for the eighth-lowest rate in the NFL). And when running backs do see some daylight, this defense is quick to shut them down. The Steelers rank eighth in the league in rushing yards allowed that are gained between five to ten yards past the line of scrimmage, according to Football Outsiders. When the running back is 10+ yards past the line of scrimmage, they're allowing the second-fewest yards among teams. That's an indication that they're not whiffing on tackles or getting wildly out of position in the run game.
And that once-maligned pass defense? It's looking like one of the best units in the league. Pittsburgh is allowing just 5.8 net yards per pass attempt, tied for the sixth-lowest rate in the league. This defense has already picked off 14 passes, led by Minkah Fitzpatrick (who's tied for the NFL lead with five) and Devin Bush (two). Fitzpatrick, in particular, has been stellar and is a player of the year candidate in his own right. As a Steeler, he's allowing just a 56.3 percent completion rate, a 57.3 percent passer rating and 6.5 yards per attempt when targeted in coverage, per Pro Football Reference's advanced stats. He ranks in the top ten among safeties in all three categories. Free agent signee Steven Nelson has also stood out, with a 52.8 percent completion rate, 70.6 passer rating and 5.9 yards per target allowed. This team, routinely torched for long gains in years past, has given up the seventh-fewest pass plays of 20+ yards (25) and second-fewest plays of 40+ yards (two).
While the defense could stand to improve in avoiding penalties (they have the eighth-most in the league, with 71), they're doing a nice job of wrapping up opponents. The Steelers have 47 missed tackles, which is the eighth-fewest in the game. Nelson (3.1 percent missed tackle rate), Vince Williams (3.4 percent) and Joe Haden (six percent) have been the most reliable.
With athletic defenders at all three levels, the Steelers have transformed from a team that couldn't buy a turnover in 2018 (they caused them in just 8.2 percent of opposing drives, 28th in the league) to certified ball hawks. With a 23.8 percent turnover rate, the Steelers defense leads the NFL. They're flipping the field at a better rate than any other Steelers team since Football Reference began tracking the stat in 1998:
It's a miracle that the 2019 Steelers--who rank 28th in total offense--look to be in a prime spot to get a wild card spot. And it's easy to envision continued dominance from a defense that features so many key players who are entering or are in their prime, including Bush (age 21), Terrell Edmunds (22), Fitzpatrick (23), Watt (25), Javon Hargrave (26), Nelson (26), Dupree (26) and the injured Stephon Tuitt (26). If the offense can evolve to be at least semi-competent, look out.
MORE STEELERS
• Run-blocking decline: The Steelers’ run game has been practically nonexistent in 2019, with the team ranking 27th in yards per carry (3.5) and total yardage (749). There are a variety of reasons for that lousy output, from injuries at the position to a low-octane passing game that allows defenders to stay closer to the line of scrimmage. But it’s also fair to cast some blame at the offensive line, which remains elite at pass blocking (Pittsburgh has allowed a 3.5 percent sack rate, second-lowest in the NFL) but is struggling to create running lanes. The Steelers rank 26th in Adjusted Line Yards (ALY) with 3.87 per attempt. ALY is a Football Outsiders metric that measures an offensive line's ability to open up holes for running backs based on down, distance and opponent. Rushing yards gained closer to the line of scrimmage are credited more to the O-line, while yards downfield are credited more to the running back. For comparison’s sake, the Steelers ranked 15th in ALY in 2018 and seventh in 2017. The Steelers have only had success running around the left end of the line (they rank 11th in ALY in that direction). They rank 24th or worse in runs to all other directions. As this unit ages, it’s looking like their ability to manhandle opponents is waning.
• Getting separation: For the second week in a row, James Washington was the Steelers’ most effective target in the passing game. The second-year wide out caught six of the seven passes thrown his way for 90 yards and a touchdown. Washington established new career highs in both receptions and yardage. A week after displaying his ability to outmuscle DBs and win contested balls, Washington showed off his ability to get separation versus the Rams. Washington had an average of 3.1 yards of separation between the nearest defender at the time of his receiving targets, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. That ranked in the top 15 among NFL receivers during Week 10, and compares to his 2.6 average overall in 2019. After a bumpy start to his NFL career, Washington is starting to justify his second-round draft status.
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