Packers at Steelers SNF Game Comments & Bedwetting

[tbsteel]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/659324 ... s-defense/

PITTSBURGH — A smile stretched across Juan Thornhill’s face as he walked off the field at Saint Vincent College. Two days in a row, the Steelers had ended training camp practice with a two-minute drill. Two days in a row, the veteran safety had intercepted Aaron Rodgers to put an exclamation point on practice.

But those splashy plays were nothing compared to the waves Thornhill created when talking about the potential of the Steelers’ 2025 defense.

“I think we have a chance to be the best of all time,” Thornhill said. “I’m putting that in the air now. One of the best of all time.”

Bold as that statement was, Thornhill wasn’t the only one at training camp with a daring prediction. Safety DeShon Elliott said he thinks the Steelers can be be top-five unit — “maybe No. 1 if we do the right things consistently.” Defensive co-captain Cameron Heyward threw around the phrase “No. 1 defense.” Even coach Mike Tomlin, typically careful with his words, let it slip on WDVE radio in Pittsburgh that he thinks this defense can be “historic.”

“I hope they’re not bashful about saying it,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. “If you want to reach for that goal and you want to be (No. 1), you better think you can. Because if don’t think it, you’ll never be it.”

Statements like these have been common during Steelers training camps over the last half decade. Living up to those expectations? Well, that’s a bit of a different story.

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By many metrics, the 2024 Steelers defense was one of the NFL’s best — at least for a period of time. They allowed the eighth-fewest points per game (20.4 points), tied for the league lead in takeaways (33) and, perhaps most impressively, played well enough to win two games in which the offense failed to score a touchdown.

However, in a world where expectations are often tied to compensation, the NFL’s highest-paid defense failed to live up to its billing last season, especially down the stretch. The physical rushing offenses of the Ravens and Eagles gashed the Steelers on the ground. High-end quarterbacks Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes picked apart Pittsburgh’s spot-drop zone coverages. And communications breakdowns in the secondary became problematic, especially when they faced stacks, clusters, bunches and 4 x 1 formations.

After allowing just 18.3 points per game over the first 14 weeks, the defense surrendered more than 27 points per game during a five-game tailspin to end the year. That included a 28-14 loss to the Ravens in which Baltimore racked up nearly 300 rushing yards and Jackson played, unquestionably, his best career playoff game.

“If you want to get to the elite level, then when your best is needed, you play your best. We did not,” Austin said bluntly. “That did not happen for us last year… We all know what the standard around here is. If you don’t win in the playoffs, then there’s some soul searching.”

The five-game collapse hasn’t changed the Steelers’ belief that they can still win with defense in 2025. For the fourth consecutive year, they’ll employ the NFL’s highest-paid defense — and will do so by a wide margin. The $157.69 million committed to defense is $17.8 million more than the second-highest spender (the Giants), according to Over The Cap. To put that into perspective, had the Steelers never signed marquee inside linebacker Patrick Queen (who has a $17.69 million cap hit), they’d still be the NFL’s highest-paid defense.

“It’s a lot of money on defense,” Queen said in training camp. “I think the biggest thing is to go out and prove it every single game. Last year, we started off good and then we sloped off at the end of the season. It’s supposed to be the opposite way around.”

So why could things be different this year?

Upgraded personnel
Tomlin said during the draft that the Steelers wanted to “retool physicality in all areas.” Through camp, first-round pick Derrick Harmon looked like he could be an immediate part of that process. While an MCL sprain will delay the defensive tackle’s debut, he has the strong hands, quick hips and aggressive temperament to be an impact player. The Steelers also went back for seconds up front when they drafted Yahya Black in the fifth round. His long arms and knack for batting passes at the line of scrimmage could help him be part of the rotation as early as this week.

At the second level, inside linebacker Payton Wilson’s jump in Year 2 (along with Queen’s presence) could turn what was a weak position just a few years ago into one of the strengths of the defense. And on the back end, veteran DBs Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey should give the Steelers plenty of quality depth.

Coverage changes and disguises
Slay joked during training camp that he’s made a lot of money playing man coverage in his career. He’s not the only one. With Slay, Ramsey and Joey Porter Jr., the Steelers have three corners with alpha personalities who want to be in mano a mano, man coverage situations.

Man coverage has often been Tomlin’s preferred style of defense. Now, he should have the chance to lean into it, with several defensive backs who can thrive in these situations.

The more interesting changes are to their zone defenses, how they’ll deploy their safeties and how much they’ll disguise the middle of the field. Last year, the Steelers were primarily a single-high safety team with Minkah Fitzpatrick patrolling the post. According to Pro Football Focus, Cover 3 was the Steelers’ primary coverage, utilized on 38.4 percent of snaps (eighth-highest rate). Man coverage with one high safety was the second-most common, played on 29.6 percent of snaps (fifth-highest rate).

Throughout the offseason and camp, the Steelers have been playing from a two-high shell more frequently. They’ve also been using more quarters — or Cover 4 — a four-deep zone defense that has gained popularity in recent years at the NFL level. According to PFF, the Steelers played quarters at the second-lowest rate in the league (5.5 percent) last year. Interestingly, they were the most effective team in the league when they did, producing a 0.28 EPA per play.

Now, when the Steelers line up with two-high safeties, maybe they’re in quarters. Maybe they’re in Tampa 2. Maybe the safeties will rotate into a single-high look. It works the opposite way, too, when the Steelers show a single-high look and then rotate into a two-high defense after the snap. By simply sprinkling in more two-high coverages, the Steelers will keep the quarterback guessing a lot more.

“I think the big thing is the versatility of the different people,” Austin said. “Versatile, good players make you better. We’ll be able to, hopefully, put them in different positions and do a lot of different things with them, really, to make it harder for the offense to see what we’re doing until the ball is snapped.”

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Return of Blitzburgh?
For five consecutive years, from 2017 to 2021, the Steelers led the league or were tied for the league lead in sacks. During that span, they blitzed at the sixth-highest rate in the league (32 percent of drop backs).

“We’re Blitzburgh for a reason,” outside linebacker Alex Highsmith said.

However, the Steelers haven’t lived up to that nickname lately. Since Austin took over as DC ahead of the 2022 season, the Steelers’ blitz rates have dipped to 28.8 percent in 2022, 30.2 percent in 2023 and 28.2 percent last year. At the same time, their sack numbers have also fallen off, as they’ve finished 14th in sacks in 2022, 11th in 2023 and 16th last year.

This year could bring a return of Blitzburgh — at least to a degree. Elliott and Queen are both above-average blitzers. They had a number of standout plays during camp when the Steelers brought pressure.

The other significant part of this conversation is Ramsey. Nickel pressures are an effective way to disrupt the rhythm and timing of a quarterback, even if it doesn’t result in a sack. The Steelers have completely changed the way they’ve value this position, going from an undrafted free agent in Beanie Bishop to an All-Pro in Ramsey, who has the physical makeup and the instincts to be impactful when he’s rushing off the edge or in the B-gap.

Understand: More blitzing isn’t always better and less blitzing isn’t necessarily worse. Experienced quarterbacks often can recognize pressure and throw into it to produce a big gain. But if the Steelers have well-timed, well-executed blitzes, that could help provide a splashy boost.

“A lot of the blitzing is who’s doing it and how they’re doing it and what position they blitz from,” Austin said. “Is it from the nickel? Is it your safeties? Who’s better? And so we’ll try to make sure we send the guys that have an opportunity to get home. We don’t want to just send guys to blitz them just to say we blitzed. That does no good for anybody.”

What does it mean?
More than anything, the biggest key for the Steelers’ defense is consistency. The real measuring-stick moments will come in Weeks 13 to 16. As injuries add up and depth is tested at the end of the season, Pittsburgh will face the Bills, Ravens, Dolphins and Lions in a four-game span. The Lions, Bills and Ravens were the top-3 scoring offenses last year. And two years ago when Tua Tagovailoa was healthy, the Dolphins were tied for the NFL’s second-highest scoring offense.

“It can’t be a roller coaster, where riding our highs and then going down to our lows,” Heyward said. “I think to be the No. 1 defense, it can’t just be for Week 1 through Week 7. It’s got to be a continued grind and we’ve got to be, at the end of the season, playing our best football.

“The front office has done their job to put this team together. It’s up to the players to make that come to fruition. We’re not trying to be paper champs. We’re trying to be champs.”

[jeemie]

Indy is going to dismember us so I BETTER hear Fire Tomlin chants nexr week.

[.Kodiak]

LOL.....yes....this could be even worse

there's about 15 QBs in this league I'm not sure we can stop, at all

[AirRescueFF]

25-3 outscored.

Collapse second week in a row, but worse.

[Steelperch]

We had the lead, momentum and the ball to start this half and got absolutely dominated. 25-3 now. Wow!

[Jizz Mop]

Back to back embarrassments on national TV

Really wish we just had 17 1pm games

Seriously

[Steelperch]

I’m getting really concerned for NHALS at this point.

[SteelPro]

Down 5 scores with a little over 5 minutes to play..

[Works At A Bank]

Oh look the field monster has arrived again lol

[AirRescueFF]

Bunch of paycheck Stealers AGAIN.

[Steel Bingo]

Of course they had to keep them out of the end zone to give the Steelers the faintest of hopes they can come back.

Need people to keep the TV on to watch drug commercials. Where people never look happier.

Not me, my D.A.R.E. training from 4th grade still going strong.

[Works At A Bank]

They won’t score another point tbh in game. I kinda want the packers to score again

[tbsteel]

Down 13 with 5 minutes left.

And we have 2 WRs on the field.

[Baltostiller]

Perfect ending.

[tbsteel]

YES!!!!!!

[franco32]

Keystone cops...

[.Kodiak]

There's that damn execution bug again

[BouldernBun]

I’m getting really concerned for NHALS at this point.

[Steelperch]

Hahahahahha. Run it up Pack!

[Works At A Bank]

Good thing Gainwell was playing - who needs to have your best RB on the field???

[franco32]

How the fuck is a WR going to help us? Can he play D?

[K_C_]

Well goodnight fellas.

It’s gonna get a lot worse I’m afraid.

[Rod & Wire Mill]

I’m getting really concerned for NHALS at this point.

Can only dream

[tbsteel]

[AirRescueFF]

Nothing will change.

No matter how bad it gets.

And I'm talking in overall approach on both sides of the ball.

[Stlcrtn1974]

Tomlin will blame that fumble for the loss

[Stillerz Bar]

I’m getting really concerned for NHALS at this point.

Ah but that's when Tomlin really shines. They are going to win some that we all expect them lose and get to NHALS somehow.

[drmalba]

Ok...I quit...
Omar Khan has some work in ahead before the trade deadline.

[tbsteel]

Please score another TD.

We need this to be as bad as possible.

[.Kodiak]

It’s gonna get a lot worse I’m afraid.

I hope so