Four Downs: Steelers pass more in the red zone than any NFL team

1. Red hot (zone)

The sequence of three consecutive incomplete passes from the 5-yard line during the second half of last week’s tie with the Detroit Lions has taken plenty of criticism from fans and observers of the Pittsburgh Steelers. But that throw-first mindset has been part of the offense all season.

The Steelers have opted to pass on 62.9% of their plays inside the opponents’ 20-yard line this season, according to Sharp Football Analysis, the highest red-zone throw rate in the NFL.

What makes that number notable this week is the Steelers are facing a Los Angeles Chargers defense that is a distant last in the league in rushing yards allowed at 155.1 per game. The Chargers have allowed the third-most rushing touchdowns (12 in nine games), partly because opponents run 62.9% of the time in the red zone against them, which is the highest rate of run in the league.

Steelers D definitely has Lions ML with these missed tackles ???? pic.twitter.com/zNnrNDoTt8

— OddsChecker (@OddsCheckerUS) November 14, 2021

2. Ground and pound?

More data from Sharp Football Analysis further suggests the Steelers should run more against Los Angeles. The site calculates a “success rate” of offensive plays that takes into account situation (e.g., an 8-yard run is a “success” on first-and-10 but a “failure” on third-and-12, and a 2-yard run is a success on fourth-and-1 but a failure on first-and-10). A play is deemed “successful” if it gains at least 40% of yards-to-go on first down, 60% of yards-to-go on second down and 100% of yards-to-go on third or fourth down.

The Steelers are worst in the NFL at success rate per dropback (41.7%), and the Chargers defense is the worst in the NFL at opponent success rate on running plays (51.7%). Therefore, it would make sense to run more Sunday.

Najee Harris is carrying the loadhttps://t.co/dYolFttUl0

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) November 18, 2021

3. Three at a time

Zero is the goal. But three, sometimes, isn’t so bad.

The Steelers defense ranks eighth in the NFL in opponent scoring (20.6 points per game) and 13th in opponent yards (348.9 per game). But only one team has allowed fewer touchdowns (19 through nine games), and only three teams have allowed more field goals (18).

The ratio of field goals-to-touchdowns allowed is the best in the NFL. That bend-but-don’t-break style helps explain why the Steelers are in the top 10 of what matters most (points allowed) despite the middle-of-the-pack rankings in opponent yards per game and yards per play (16th).

.@TimBenzPGH: Horrible tackling, untimely turnovers among grievances to air after #Steelers' rotten tie against #Lions https://t.co/Z0aq1oo3lw

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) November 15, 2021

4. Missing tackles

Another of the negative narratives this week surrounding the Steelers was their poor tackling. A “missed tackle” is subjective, and it’s not an official statistic. But a couple of the outlets that track such things peg the Steelers as faring poorly in that category.

Pro-football-reference.com lists the Steelers defense with 70 missed tackles in nine games, the third-worst rate (7.8 per game) in the league. (But the good news this week for the Steelers is the Chargers have missed the most tackles in the NFL, per Pro Football Reference: 76 in nine games).

Pro Football Focus calculates 67 missed tackles for the Steelers defense, and it has it much further down the league “leaders” list: PFF reports the Lions, for example, have missed 90 tackles and ranks the Steelers 15th in tackling grade.

Who on the Steelers, per PFF, has missed the most tackles? Minkah Fitzpatrick with 12. But among regulars, Cameron Sutton has the worst percentage of missed tackles (23.1%). Cameron Heyward (4.7%) has the Steelers’ best missed-tackle percentage.

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