Tim Benz: Steelers' 'ball searchers' defense better be on the hunt again vs. Chargers

Turnovers are fickle. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ dedication to creating them can’t be.

If we’ve learned anything about the Steelers’ defense, it’s that. In their five wins this season, the Steelers have 14 takeaways. In their three losses, they have two.

The Steelers have truly been feast-or-famine when it comes to that statistic. After the first four games, the Steelers defense went into the bye with 10 turnovers under its belt. The three games after that, it had none. The three games after that, it had none.

Then the defense erupted for six takeaways against Indianapolis this Sunday.

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“You love for them to come in bunches. But you don’t want them to come every other game. You want bunches every single game. We just want our culture to show up every single game,” linebacker Payton Wilson said Wednesday.

“Good things happen when there are a lot of people around the ball. When you are executing, people are in the right spot, it’s easier to get turnovers when you are gang tackling — nine or 10 guys around the ball.”

As telling a statistic as turnovers tend to be when it comes to success or failure in NFL games, there are a significant number of variables that go into how successful a team can be at creating them.

The opposing team can be very dedicated to taking care of the ball, or just downright sloppy with it — as New England was when the Steelers won their game in Foxborough largely because of the Patriots’ five giveaways.

Or you can do a million things right to be in position for a big turnover day, but a few funky bounces or bad breaks, and you walk away with none.

Go back and look at the Steelers’ 23-9 win over Cleveland last month if you want evidence of that.

Weather comes into play. Instant replay reviews always come into play on turnovers. So there are numerous reasons why a defense’s takeaway stat can be random.

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But — the ridiculous Cleveland game aside — the Steelers’ defense has proven that if it doesn’t get off the field by taking the ball away, it tends to stay out there for way too long.

In those three losses with just two turnovers (both coming against Seattle in Week 2), the Steelers have lost the time of possession battle all three times. They also ran a total of 29 fewer plays in those games, snapping the ball on offense fewer times in each outing against the Seahawks, Bengals and Packers.

“It’s about being more demonstrative at practice,” cornerback Brandin Echols said. “Talking about what we need to get done. Setting forth a goal for the game. Trying to get all the eyes on the QB. Wherever he goes, as defenders, we follow him. Ball break. Get tips and overthrows.”

While the Steelers’ defense needs to get turnovers to survive, coach Mike Tomlin doesn’t want his players hunting for them too much and getting themselves out of position in the process.

“We’re ball searchers. Forget how many we get. We have to consistently display intent where appropriate,” Tomlin said. “Sometimes it’s not appropriate when you’re the first hitter, but we routinely work on when it’s appropriate. We have to be ball aware first; we have to be ball searchers second. When you do those things, you generally get the results that you desire.”

One correlation that is true for the Steelers (as it is for most teams), turnovers come when the pass rush is effective. If you get to the quarterback, throws are rushed. Strip sacks occur. Passes get tipped at the line of scrimmage.

Those 14 takeaways in their five victories dovetail with 23 sacks.

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“When the DBs are on their assignments and playing like they are playing, giving us time to get home, rush and coverage work together,” linebacker Nick Herbig said. “They are covering their (backsides) off, we are rushing our (backsides) off. So we help each other.”

Conversely, in their three losses with just two turnovers, Joe Flacco, Sam Darnold and Jordan Love were sacked a total of four times while attempting 117 passes.

This week, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has eight interceptions. Only two QBs — Las Vegas’ Geno Smith and Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa — have more at 11 apiece. He’s also been sacked 28 times. Only Tennessee’s Cam Ward (38) and New England’s Drake Maye (34) have absorbed more.

However, Herbert has proven proficient at eluding the rush as well, running for 305 yards, the most of any QB in football this season.

On an injured leg last year in Pittsburgh, Herbert only ran once before leaving the game early. In 2021, he ran nine times for 90 against the Steelers.

“We caught a flyer a year ago. He was limited from a mobility perspective when we played him,” Tomlin said. “It impacted how the game unfolded. It allowed us to do some things schematically that you’re somewhat hesitant to do if he has full mobility. I think it nailed him down in the pocket and probably limited some of the things they choose to do schematically.”

Herbert’s only limitation right now appears to be his own protection from his injury riddled offensive line.

“We know that they’ve got a bunch of guys out on the front. We have to take advantage of that this week,” linebacker Alex Highsmith said. “It’s got to be a big week for us in the run game and the pass game as well. It comes to stopping the run first. Then, when we can get them in third and long situations, I think we can really eat.”

Re-creating six turnovers like they got from Indianapolis will be difficult. But if the Steelers can exploit that weakness of the Chargers, even getting half as many takeaways, that may be enough to secure a victory against a second consecutive conference opponent currently in an AFC playoff spot.