How Bad Really Was the Steelers Defense Last Year

Here are some fun facts

Passing Defense
Sacks - 1st Set a franchise record with 56 sacks
Passing TDs- tied for 8th best in the league with allowing 20TDs
Passing Yards - 5th best 3217 yards
INTs - tied for 9th. 16 INTS
% completion of passes against - 10th 59.5%
Total Points - 7th best
+40 yard pass against- tied for 3rd most against with 13 << Big play downfield an obvious problem
+20 yard pass against - tied for 16th most against at 48


Rushing Defense
Yards against - 10th best
Rush TDs - Tied for 22nd
Rush over +40 yards - tied for 3rd worst in league
rushing Fumbles - 24th


3rd down conversion
13th best

The big one... drum roll

Red Zone TD percentage - 65.91% SECOND WORSE (ONLY the Browns did worse)


https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/opponent-third-down-conversion-pct

https://steelersdepot.com/2018/05/steelers-red-zone-defense-had-worst-regression-in-2017/

http://www.nfl.com/stats/categoryst...siveStatisticCategory=RUSHING&qualified=false


Not the best but not the worst either. Areas in desperate need of fixing is red zone TDs as well as the big plays against the run and the pass. They also need to force more fumbles. The sacks came a lot of time off of a blitz, so if the line could do better with the pass rush with less dependence on the blitz to create pressure this should decrease the number of big plays against.

 

The big difference will be without Shaz. Time to Blitz the QB's to no end. JMHO.

 

I really don’t think our defense is as bad as some are saying. I also believe we’ll be improved this season.
We’ll be contenders this year.
Let’s go Steelers!

 

It doesn't matter about how good or bad we were last year.

 

The Defense is sh!tty.

 

I don't think it was that our defense was that bad. We were actually quite good. Unfortunately, we had a few like Jacksonville who just had our number.

 

We are doomed, and the end of the world is near. I currently have one foot off the ledge, and I suspect the fall will come after our next preseason game. Personally, I use our preseason games to predict how we will perform the next 10 years. Some of you act like we run fluff in the preseason and use it mainly as a tool to evaluate players that will be serving my hamburger in a couple of weeks. This madness needs to stop...Preseason determines championships!

 

Good OP. The defense has needs, and we will see how well they’ve been addressed.

There’s a tendency to get hung up on the last game, and the very worse ones. Last year all the threads were about how man coverage was going to save everything. This year it’s all been about giving up 45 points to Jax and losing to the Bears.

That’s all important. But the defense also won games for us last year. I’m not thinking we’ve got the steel curtain mark 2 by any means, but they’re not bottom of the pile. Yet.

 

I agree.

 

This thread is primarily in response to the fire Keith Butler thread.

The point being he isn't all that terrible as some are making out. There were some major setbacks just as losing Shazier and injuries as well. Tuitt wasn't healthy all year. For some reason LT walton played around 40% of snaps against Jacksonville and got taken to school. My guess is Hargraves must have been dealing with injuries also.

The defense had a terrible performance last game. They even acknowledge that. I don't think it's a representation of how this defense is going to be this year.

With all that said, I am still a bit concerned with out ILB position, but I think they'll be able to figure something out that works. I like what they did at the safety position, but it's still yet to be seen if they can improve on the big plays allowed from last year.