The loss of Stephon Tuitt to injured reserve is a huge blow to a defense that was seeing him play at his best. His 3.5 sacks was the second most behind T.J. Watt's four, and he commanded the attention of every offense with his presence on the line.
But now the Steelers turn to Javon Hargrave and Tyson Alualu as their defensive line looks for answers without their best player. Let's examine their strengths and weaknesses and how that will play out moving forward:
Tuitt not only contributed in the pass rush, he was also a major force against the run. Even when he wasn't recording one of his 22 tackles on the season, Tuitt was constantly blowing up his gaps and forcing offenses to run elsewhere.
Where Alualu and Hargrave can help against the run is with their technique. Tuitt's footwork and hand placement was at the best I've seen in his career, but his sheer power, size and quickness combined to make him a true monster in the middle of the defense.
Alualu and Hargrave don't have all the physical advantages Tuitt brings, but they can win by staying in position and fighting to win their gaps. Watch how Alualu sheds the Chargers' right tackle, No. 69 Sam Tevi, to control his gap and tackle Austin Ekeler with Terrell Edmunds and Watt for a loss:
Alualu and Hargrave are veterans that are good at maintaining a low center of gravity with footwork that's always active to win their gaps. That kind of persistence can wear down on offensive lines and neutralize a ground attack.
Watch how they work together as they both blow up this run by Ekeler for a three yard loss. Hargrave takes one jab to the inside, punches his man then works around him to get the free shot on Ekeler. Alualu gets a great jump off the line and swims the Chargers' center Dan Feeney. After the swim move he works toward Ekeler for the shared tackle, neutralizing a double team from the Chargers:
But where the Steelers will most miss Tuitt is in their pass rush. Not just because of his production with 3.5 sacks, but also because of the multiple tactics opposing offenses needed neutralize him.
Watch how Phillip Rivers has time in this pocket and how his offensive line deals with the Steelers' rush. Hargrave rushes up the middle with Cam Heyward while Watt and Bud Dupree rush off the edges.
Before the snap you can see Rivers talking to the left side of his offensive line and pointing out the blitz the Steelers' bring. Dupree and Heyward use a stunt-twist combination, but it gets neutralized as three linemen from the Chargers focus on it. They leave just Michael Schofield III to block Hargrave, and he holds him up enough while Tevi holds Watt up just enough:
Dale Lolley wrote how Hargrave is ready to do his part to fill in for Tuitt. Hargrave is in a contract year and has much to prove so he can maximize what he can earn in free agency.
If Hargrave is going to take full advantage of this opportunity, he has to win those one-on-one opportunities, like the play where he's stuffed by Schofield III. Teams are going to focus on double-teaming Heyward and accounting for Watt because they're the high-profile pass rushers left on the roster.
If Hargrave and Alualu can beat out enough linemen to increase their sack count, it could put offenses back into making more difficult decisions in game planning about which pass rushers to focus on.
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MORE CLASSROOM
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