The defensive star of the Steelers' 17-7 win against the Chiefs was undoubtedly Bud Dupree. He finished the game with three tackles, two sacks, three quarterback hits and a pass defended in one half of football. But it wasn't just the production that drew my eye to Dupree's play, it was how he was getting the job done.
Let's take a closer look:
Dupree's four years with the Steelers have been a mixed bag of pure athleticism with inconsistent results — he's averaged five sacks a season and never produced at the level of a 22nd overall pick. He's still an explosive player who can accelerate quickly to beat linemen, but he hasn't been able to put it all together to make it count in the regular season.
What made these sacks different from Dupree's usual ones were the angles he created. He wasn't just winning because he was running around the edge.
Watch how he and Cam Heyward team up on the edge to overload the Chiefs' offensive line.
Mark Barron bumps outside of Dupree to look as if he's rushing but drops back into coverage. This freezes left tackle Eric Fisher until he goes in to help against Dupree rushing into B-gap. But he doesn't see Heyward twisting around Dupree until the last second, forcing Fisher to step outside and get Heyward. As soon as that happens, Dupree beats the left guard for the sack:
It used to be that Dupree would be the blitzing player running around the stuntman who plows into the middle of the offensive line. He's done that a lot, benefiting from the strength of both Heyward and Stephon Tuitt. But now Dupree's more aggressive approach makes him more dangerous than just a speed rusher who tries to beat a tackle to a spot.
Watch how he beats Cam Erving with one of the best edge rushes I've seen from Dupree in a while. Notice that as soon as he engages Erving you see the tackle's chest pop back from a strong punch from Dupree's hands. Dupree immediately follows that punch by pulling down on Erving to catch him off balance, then disengages and takes the sharp angle for the sack:
That's a lot more dangerous than what we've seen from him. If this actually becomes a staple of his game, the Steelers' defense may be looking at having a dual edge-rush threat with T.J. Watt and Dupree. Considering they've had the most sacks in the NFL for two consecutive years with Dupree producing at a mediocre level and Watt still learning, that's a scary thought for offensive coordinators.
But Dupree didn't just win with aggression, he also won with his head. And not in the Vontaze Burfict kind of way. His pass breakup came when he read a screen by the Chiefs while he was getting set up to take the bait. Dupree sees the deep drop of Chad Henne, which suits his rushing style.
But instead of continuing his attack, he pulls up and waits for the screen that's set up behind him. He finishes the play with a solid swat in front of both Javon Hargrave and Cameron Sutton, who also sniffed out the screen:
It's just one preseason game, but it's a little different than Dupree's normal production. Even in past preseason years he hasn't shown up the way he did on Saturday. Keep an eye out for how he follows that up against the Titans.
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