The Steelers' defense ranks among the NFL's best in several categories. But it's not just a simple influx of talent that has turned the defense around from struggling years. This unit has polished out several schematic switches that make them a challenging group to face.
Mike Tomlin and Keith Butler have put together disguises to cause as much confusion as possible for opposing offenses. Let's take a look at how that played into their 20-13 win over the Browns:
The Browns came out with plays that gave their talented offense opportunities to get open in space. They challenged the Steelers to route combinations that provided spacial and communication challenges with Odell Beckham Jr., Kareem Hunt, Jarvis Landry, and Nick Chubb.
The Browns' only touchdown came on a Texas route run by Hunt behind a drive concept run by the Browns' receivers. A drive passing concept has one receiver run a shallow cross while another receiver runs a deep in route behind the shallow cross. The concept is designed to force middle defenders to pick covering the higher or lower receivers.
But Hunt's Texas route comes behind both of them, and after the Steelers cover both options of the drive concept, Hunt is wide open:
The Browns do deserve credit for their flashes of schematic offensive success. Freddie Kitchens has had moments this season where his offense has caught defenses off guard, but the Steelers' defense adjusted to these challenges as the game continued.
The secondary and coverage linebackers that comprise the Steelers defense allow for Butler and Tomlin to use their athleticism to play press coverage across the board. Watch this below play and see how across the board, the Browns' receivers and deeper threats are blanketed. Baker Mayfield's only real option is Hunt out of the backfield, who is quickly tackled in open space by Edmunds:
But no great defense can rely on athleticism alone. When the Browns deployed their various passing concepts that could cause confusion, the Steelers had answers that showed the chemistry within the defense. Watch how the Steelers play man defense, but still pass off receivers across the field.
Watch how Steven Nelson starts the play by covering a receiver on a shallow cross while Edmunds plays an intermediate zone. But as the receiver crosses the middle of the field, Edmunds takes over trailing him and Nelson switches to being the intermediate zone defender.
If you watch Mayfield's eyes and initial pump fake, it looks like his initial read was to target the middle of the field where either the cross would've beaten Nelson or behind the space where Edmunds vacated:
Those kinds of switches confuse young quarterbacks and can lead to turnover chances for the defense. Just before Joe Haden's interception to close the game, Minkah Fitzpatrick almost made his own game-ending interception.
The Steelers start by showing Cover 2 with Edmunds and Fitzpatrick being the two deep safeties. Their dime package has six defensive backs, Mark Barron and four pass rushers. After the snap, Cameron Sutton jumps from being a slot defender in the middle of the field to sprinting back to have deep-thirds responsibility to make a Cover 3 zone defense.
But Fitzpatrick jumps down from his spot to cover the middle of the field. Mayfield sees Landry running over the middle of the field and never sees Fitzpatrick coming up. The ball is knocked away easily by Fitzpatrick, who immediately regrets not trying to intercept the pass:
Thanks to the Haden interception, the Steelers now lead the NFL with 30 turnovers in twelve games. Some of that has come from the pure talent they've added to the roster, but that talent has combined with well timed switches and communication that's disguising the true intent of the Steelers' defense before the snap.
As they get ready to face a rookie and three second year quarterbacks in their final four games, the Steelers could use more of those disguises in coverage to confuse the quarterbacks and carry the team into the playoffs.
MORE CLASSROOM
Dec. 4: Judging Hodges' deep ball decisions
Dec. 3: Washington gets a grip
Dec. 2: Relentless pressure cooks Baker
Nov. 30: Keep it simple for Hodges
