3 things we learned from Steelers win against Tennessee Titans

The Steelers defense has become a ‘risk, reward’ defense

The Steelers ‘D’ has become a ‘risk, reward’ defense.  So what do I mean by that statement? The ‘D’ was able to generate two sacks against the Titans, with T.J. Watt, our OLB extraordinaire, accounting for one of the two aforementioned sacks.

On the flip side, the ‘D’ allowed the Titans to hang in the game by surrendering an average of 4.9 yards per play, according to the official website of the NFL. We also allowed the Titans to have a WR who caught 6 passes for 153 yards because of what essentially amounted to playing ‘Cover 1’ almost exclusively.

If you watched the game, you undoubtedly noticed that on most plays, we were playing ‘single-high safety’.  I personally don’t like this look at all because what we are telling our opponent is this:  if you run the ball, we’ll get you; however, if you pass the ball, you’ll probably burn us on a big play.

Had it not been for the fact that the ‘D’ was able to hold the Titans to a 38 percent conversion rate on third down, would the Steelers have won the game?  It’s a moot point, but it’s something that I think about.  Again, we won the game, but I think ‘Cover 1’ should be used sparingly rather than regularly.

Let’s review the third thing we learned.