Steelers Avoid Doom in Music City, but Lack of Pass Rush Still a Major Problem

It was an up-and-down contest for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night against the Tennessee Titans. For nearly three quarters of the game, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was harassed by the Titans' blitzing, while the defense had few answers against rookie passer Zach Mettenberger and his 31st-ranked offense.

However, thanks to a few well-timed scores, a heavy dose of running with Le'Veon Bell and finally picking up the Titans' many blitzes, the Steelers were able to leave town with a 27-24 win and sole possession of second place in the AFC North.

This was the Steelers' first win after finding themselves down by 11 or more points since 2002, as pointed out by Football Outsiders' Scott Kacsmar.

The one thing that woefully lacked for the Steelers on Monday night is a problem they've had all year—generating pressure. Either from a three- or four-man rush or via blitzing, the Steelers were not able to sack Mettenberger once.

The hallmark of Dick LeBeau's Steelers defense is the blitz, and it's a toy he loves to unleash on inexperienced passers like Mettenberger. It's something that does and has worked even without safety Troy Polamalu, who missed tonight's game with a knee injury. 

The Steelers, however, have struggled to generate pressure this year, much like in 2013. They have just 20 total sacks through 11 games and are earning a sack on just 5.60 percent of opposing quarterbacks' dropbacks. That's similar to 2013, when they earned a sack on 5.64 percent of dropbacks.

Why the pass rush is so crucial to the Steelers this year is their weakened secondary. While the team expects both Polamalu and cornerback Ike Taylor back after the Week 12 bye, even with those two healthy and involved in games, that doesn't mean the secondary will be any better.

Player	Sacks
Cameron Heyward	4.0
James Harrison	4.0
Jason Worilds	3.5
Lawrence Timmons	2.0
Arthur Moats	2.0
Steve McLendon	1.0
Brett Keisel	1.0
Cam Thomas	.5
Total	20

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Taylor had given up one touchdown with two passes defensed and no interceptions before being injured in Week 3. He also gave up six touchdowns to no interceptions last season. Polamalu too has given up a touchdown this year and has one pass defensed and no interceptions. 

The need for an improved pass rush was evident against the Titans. Mettenberger often had all day to throw, and double moves by receivers Kendall Wright and Justin Hunter earned long catches of 23 and 36 yards respectively.

Mettenberger finished the day completing 15 of 24 pass attempts for 263 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Most conspicuously, he averaged 11.0 yards per reception. He not only had time to throw but was able to throw the ball deep with success.

Steelers cornerback William Gay, who picked off Mettenberger on the quarterback's first snap of the game and returned it for a touchdown, was particularly susceptible to Hunter and Wright.

He—and safety Will Allen, who gave him no help, though, per ESPN's Scott Brown, head coach Mike Tomlin wouldn't say if Gay expected it—was also responsible for Nate Washington's 80-yard touchdown run that gave the Titans a 17-13 lead with under a minute to go in the first half.

The Titans are not a dangerous offense. Mettenberger isn't the next big thing at quarterback, and his receivers, while talented, are still raw and trying to gain chemistry with the rookie. The Steelers secondary was again beaten by another poor quarterback, as it was last week against the New York Jets.

Until and unless the Pittsburgh secondary improves, then the front seven must play better. A strong pass rush hides many flaws in a secondary. While the Steelers may be banking on an improvement in their secondary after the bye week, that improvement is not guaranteed just because a pair of veterans—aged veterans at that—returns.

There is a mixed bag of passing offenses ahead for the defense to face, ranging from the New Orleans Saints, who rank third in passing yards per game and fourth in sacks allowed per game, the Cincinnati Bengals (twice), who are 22nd in passing yards but third in sacks allowed, and the Kansas City Chiefs, who do not throw the ball much, though Alex Smith takes 2.5 sacks per game on average.

The Steelers need to capitalize on these offenses, not just hope that Bell can run for 200-plus yards or that Ben Roethlisberger can flawlessly connect with Antonio Brown. The teams that make big plays on both sides of the ball are the ones who win divisions and make deep playoff runs. Currently, the Steelers do not have that balance.

So, hopefully the Steelers take a long, hard look at their pass-rushing situation and can make positive adjustments during the bye week. If they can start bringing pressure to opposing quarterbacks, it takes some of the weight off the offense's shoulders and will help out the struggling secondary. 

It was a much-needed win for the Steelers on Monday night, but it was one defined by their offense, not their defense. The defense needs to step into the spotlight as well if the Steelers have a shot to win it all.