The Steelers led the NFL in sacks every year from 2017 to 2021. That streak is surely coming to an end in 2022.
After sacking Joe Burrow seven times in Week 1 against the Bengals, the Steelers have picked up just five sacks over the last six weeks, the fewest in the league since Week 2. On the year, the their 14.2% pressure percentage per dropback is 30th in the league, according to Pro Football Reference.
Losing T.J. Watt to injured reserve certainly is a major factor for the drop, but it's tough to pick up sacks and pressure the quarterback when the team isn't blitzing as often.
This year, the Steelers have blitzed just 24.1% of dropbacks, putting them in the bottom half of the league (19th). While that's in line with how often they blitzed last season (24.9%), it is a far cry from recent years. In 2020, they blitzed 40.3% of dropbacks, as well as 36.9% in 2019 and 38.7% in 2018.
That decrease in blitzes isn't completely by design, but out of necessity.
"I think it's more the way things have played out," Teryl Austin said Thursday before practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "Obviously we've had some injuries in the secondary, so when you do that, you lose some guys, maybe you don't want to expose them as much. So we had to mix up, change up and do some things a little bit differently than we normally do. But I think if the situation calls for it and we need to, we've got to be able to get after people and blitz them. It just hasn't worked out that way."
The secondary has been bit by the injury bug these past few weeks, and they are still far from 100%. Cornerback Levi Wallace has not practiced Wednesday or Thursday due to a shoulder injury, and defensive back Josh Jackson was limited Thursday due to his groin injury.
Those injuries have led the Steelers to dropping linebackers back more to help. Not that the unit is using it as an excuse for the lack of pressure.
"We've just got to continue to work together," Alex Highsmith told me. "When we're at our best is when we're communicating and we're talking. Coach [Mike] Tomlin always says 'the Standard is the Standard,' so no matter who's in, we've got to produce... We've just got to keep talking and keep communicating, because when we do that, we know what each other's doing, it makes us an effective rush unit."
"I think overall we're continuing to get better, even though we didn't get any sacks the past week," Highsmith also said. "I think we did a good job of having good rushes. I thought [Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa] was getting the ball out really quick. We've just got to keep rushing and getting after it."
The Steelers do appear to be getting healthier, as Watt returned to practice Wednesday -- Highsmith said Watt also practiced with the team Thursday -- which could restore what has been the defense's strength these past five years. But Tomlin said Tuesday Watt is "highly unlikely" to play Sunday against the Eagles, so this defense will still be looking for ways to finally generate pressure.
"I know the type of front we are, the type of front we can be," Highsmith said. "We've just got to keep continuing to get after it."
