How Injury-Depleted Steelers Defense Managed to Get to Cam Newton

There were some welcome surprises in the Pittsburgh Steelers' commanding 37-19 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday night. Not the least of which was the play of the Steelers defense. Even with injuries to starting cornerback Ike Taylor and linebackers Ryan Shazier and Jarvis Jones, this team kept quarterback Cam Newton on his heels for 60 minutes.

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One area in particular where Pittsburgh showed marked improvement was in pressuring the quarterback. The Pittsburgh defense sacked Newton three times officially and, by my count, hit him three more and pressured him an additional two. This is far greater than the sum of defensive pressure Pittsburgh had amassed in the two previous games combined.

So, how did they do it? Was it some newfangled exotic pressures and blitzes? Not a chance. Pittsburgh went back to basics. I mean real basics. Let’s break down two plays that really highlighted how the Steelers won at the line of scrimmage.

As the preseason progressed, I was a little concerned with the number of plays the first-team defense was running out of some variation of the nickel. With the personnel on this roster, I wasn’t sure if they could hold up against run-heavy sets.

NFL Game Rewind

On this first play, we see the Steelers out in their base defense. Down and distance say this is a good bet to hedge and not play nickel, even though the Panthers are in shotgun with three wide receivers. Pittsburgh is counting on a run out of this set, and so they have put all pass-rush responsibility on the defensive line. 

What this sort of responsibility means is that the defensive front can cut loose at the snap. And that’s exactly what happens.

NFL Game Rewind

As soon as the ball is snapped, nose tackle Steve McLendon just blows off the ball in a fury. No concern for gap integrity or making reads. All he had to do was put Panthers center Ryan Kalil on skates with superior power and leverage and slide him into the backfield.

Had the Steelers come out in nickel in this instance, McLendon would have either been off the field or in a one-gap tackle spot, where he could be easily doubled up. Sometimes it is best to just stick with what you know and execute properly. 

NFL Game Rewind

The second play, Pittsburgh counters 2nd-and-15 with their nickel set and two deep safeties. The Panthers split their tight end out, creating a four-wide receiver look, and are again in the shotgun.

However, in this case, Pittsburgh makes two small adjustments that make a world of difference. First, at the snap, Pittsburgh only has one defensive lineman with his hand on the ground. This forces the Panthers’ offensive line to essentially guess where pressure is coming from. I love this look and hope to see more of it going forward. 

Second, and even more important, the Steelers line up their primary pass-rushers very wide. Defensive end Brett Keisel and linebacker Jarvis Jones are standing up over what would be an 8-technique rush end spot. There’s an old adage in football that you win with angles, and these alignments give Keisel and Jones the angle.

NFL Game Rewind

At the snap, Keisel and Jones get a solid three-yard sprint to the quarterback before a Panthers blocker gets a hand on either of them. This gives both of them far too great a head of steam to be stopped. Both players get the edge and just back their blockers into Newton, forcing the sack. You put those two guys in tighter, hand on the ground, no way that play works. 

Just these two small variations on the use of base defense and the alignment of the nickel show that the Steelers staff is adjusting, adapting to what is happening. This won’t work every week, but on Sunday night, Pittsburgh had all of the answers for getting after Newton.

Looking forward, the Steelers take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday, another team with questions at offensive line and a quarterback far less mobile than Newton. Look for this trend of pressure to continue if Tampa Bay can’t get a run game going in a hurry.