The Steelers tamed the Bengals on Sunday, 24-16, to improve to 2-0. In that win, the Pittsburgh secondary showed the football world that they can no longer be taken lightly.
Yes, you read the headline correctly.
Pass defense has been the Achilles’ heel of the Steelers for the better part of recent memory. Last season, the secondary was torched on an alarmingly consistent basis. On their worst days, the secondary’s ineptitude provided quite the spectacle. Versus Russell Wilson, for example.
The Steelers secondary did improve as the year went on, though, and it served as a central focus of the 2016 offseason. Pittsburgh spent their first- and second-round draft picks on defensive backs, adding Artie Burns and Sean Davis. Antwon Blake was mercifully let go. The Steelers even completed a rare in-division trade for cornerback Justin Gilbert.
This season is still young. But if the Steelers’ 2-0 start is any indication, all that attention is paying off.
In terms of pure yardage allowed, the Steelers secondary appears troublesome (695 yards in two weeks). Upon further inspection, however, the pass defense in Pittsburgh has made significant strides from a season ago.
Of course, the neutralization of A.J. Green serves as the secondary’s crowning achievement. Green, who routinely smokes the Steelers, was rendered invisible for most of the afternoon. He commonly enjoys a 100-yard outing against the black and gold.
Andy Dalton’s final stat line: 31/54, 366 yards and a touchdown. That breaks down to an average of 11.8 yards per reception and a 57% completion percentage.
It must be noted that more than a third of Dalton’s yards came from backfield passes. The Bengals’ leading receiver on the day was Giovani Bernard, who tallied nine receptions for 100 yards and a score. Dalton relied heavily on dump-offs and checkdowns as his wide receivers were covered downfield.
These are solid numbers for the Steelers secondary. What makes them even stronger is the fact that they were accomplished without the help of a pass rush.
Thus far, Pittsburgh’s defense has kept opposing passers squeaky clean. No sacks were registered in week one at Washington, and Dalton was sacked just once on Sunday. The Steelers secondary is being forced to hold their coverage for extended amounts of time and still keeping receivers modest.
Pittsburgh’s rookies have stepped up early. Sean Davis has had ups-and-downs at cornerback, but his long-term potential is obvious. Artie Burns swatted away a would-be Bengals touchdown pass before halftime, halting Cincinnati’s momentum and forcing them to take a field goal.
The Bengals are one of the few teams in the NFL that can throw the Steelers offense out of whack. Ben Roethlisberger is always more interception-prone against them, and Cincinnati knows how to take Antonio Brown out of the equation. Without the strong performance of the secondary, the outcome of Steelers-Bengals likely would’ve been different.
Pittsburgh’s defense is the living embodiment of bend but don’t break. They may give up some untimely third downs and a hefty chunk of passing yards, but they hold it down when needed.
In two weeks, the Steelers have surrendered nearly 700 passing yards. The stat that really matters, though – they’ve allowed only one touchdown through the air.
Next: Steelers over Bengals: Week 2 Recap
Pittsburgh’s defense as a whole has improvements to make. Pass coverage is still less-than-ideal, and the pass rush must find its groove. Still, the fact remains: the secondary is no longer a thorn in the Steelers’ side. As it stands, it is better than the front seven.
It will take time for them to become truly great. But for now, the secondary is certainly good.
All stats via NFL.com.