After spending the weekend digesting the Pittsburgh Steelers’ biggest defensive problem, miscommunication, I’m gathering my thoughts to understand why the defense is struggling so much. These things are difficult to judge in advance. It is difficult to figure out who did what wrong in a coverage failure from the outside without knowing the strategy, checks, signals, etc. It’s much easier to explain things when everything is going well.
And indeed, topics like this are literally looking for answers, trying to make sense of a messy and broken play. However, after studying main coverage busts and big gains/touchdowns, the Steelers allowed him to play the past two weeks against the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs. I’ve boiled it down to three umbrella issues.
1. Messages are conveyed but not always received
2. damage caused by speed
3. Struggling with movement, 3×1 formation
Below, we discuss each major completion that was granted from the busted coverage.
Isaiah Likely touchdown
Week 16 against Baltimore. In an unbalanced 3×1 formation, LT Ronnie Stanley flips from left tackle to right tackle. Probably lines up as No. 3, but runs a wheel route to become the new No. 1. Pittsburgh struggles to pick it up, FS Minkah Fitzpatrick freezes on the tossing action in the flat, LB Patrick Queen gets picked on a seam route, and it’s the pitch and catch to settle the score.
First example of Pittsburgh struggling with 3×1. I can’t say exactly who, Queen or Fitzpatrick, but the Steelers didn’t respond well to this.
mark andrews touchdown
Second half of the Ravens game. Baltimore initially lines up in a 2×2 formation, but moves WR Zai Flowers from left to right to form a 3×1 formation. Get all the components of the error here. The Ravens gained speed with a 3×1 motion, and the Ravens quickly got the ball in line with the motion.
And here an attempt at communication takes place. Cam Sutton shows up and tells LCB James Pierre to hit a trip look and get some depth and width. Probably to avoid being picked and to create a wider route to the sideline.
In this snap, Minkah Fitzpatrick appears to be pointing at TE Mark Andrews and instructing CB Cam Sutton to go man-to-man. Sutton doesn’t get the message and they both get a double flower, leaving Andrews wide open.
Stressed by Baltimore’s quick snap, communication was delayed and Andrews scored in the back of the end zone. This play wasn’t due to a lack of communication, but the lack of communication led to a bust.
Xavier Worthy touchdown
Now on to the game against the Chiefs. Kansas City marched downfield on their first possession, with QB Patrick Mahomes using quick throws and an effective running game to get closer to the Steelers’ goal line.
For the first touchdown, they appeared in a 2×2 formation with speedy WR Xavier Worthy lined up like a running back in the backfield. Pittsburgh checks here. They recognize it and communicate it clearly. LB Patrick Queen makes the call and SS Deshon Elliott points directly at Worthy (with more breakdowns, I imagine the coaching staff is pushing players to be more explicit and clear in their verbal and non-verbal communication) do).
However, the Chiefs snap the ball as quickly as possible, meaning the Steelers have limited time to communicate the check. FS Minkah Fitzpatrick doesn’t get the message and is late to the apartment. Worthy wins a corner and scores.
Here, this symbolizes issues 1 and 2. The message was sent, but not everyone received it. In this case, Fitzpatrick didn’t understand. That was compromised by the Chiefs using their speed to get to the line, limiting the time for defenses to recognize, communicate and take off the snap. Still, this was an outcome that should have been avoided.
Travis Kelsey’s Wide Open (Part 1)
You may not remember this play because it was wiped out by a Chiefs penalty. But that was one of several instances where TE Travis Kelce stood alone. The Steelers hold the key to scoring at No. 4 and 1st base, but they’re completely missing Kelce even after the defense knows it’s a pass.
The Chiefs came out in a 2×2 formation, but transitioned to a 3×1 and Kelce came across the formation. SS Deshon Elliott responds and appears communicating with RCB Donte Jackson.
Elliott takes the tight end and Jackson drives the other into the flat, but Kelce is left alone. He sat over the middle and it was an easy pitch and catch for YAC, then RT Jawaan Taylor held and got the score back.
Who is in charge here? We can only guess. Elliott chases Kelce but ends up getting the innermost release and Jackson gets the outermost release. The problem should be with either linebacker, Queen or Elandon Roberts.
Who’s going to have the running back and who’s going to have the tight end? That just doesn’t make sense to me. But I think the problem was that the motion disrupted the Steelers’ coverage and didn’t communicate the new alignment very well. Seems basic.
Travis Kelsey Wide Open (Part 2)
It’s a 3×1 formation, but there’s no motion here. Cam Sutton’s cat/nickel blitz, something the Steelers did several times in this game. All other games were five-man rushes. This time, LB Patrick Queen becomes the sixth rusher, and Pittsburgh lacks coverage on Trips’ side, leaving Kelce open again.
It seems like Queen didn’t need to rush and should have adapted to Kelce. It turns into a big profit.
Travis Kelsey Wide Open (Part 3)
Another move from 2×2 to 3×1. There’s communication here from Queen, Roberts, and Elliott, which is best seen in the end zone view in the clip below. This seems to simply designate the strong side of the formation, the outstretched arm to new strength (TJ Watt shows it hereif confirmation is required from him).
On the snap, Elandon Roberts and Patrick Queen faced the same player and the running back popped out. This leaves Kelce open in the middle for another easy catch with a big YAC.
Again, we’re trying to figure out who’s at fault, Queen or Roberts. Your guess is as good as mine. Obviously one of them failed here. But the point is that the motion confuses Pittsburgh and we see the Steelers unable to communicate formation changes effectively enough.
Travis Kelce Wide Open (Part4)
Another motion from 2×2 to 3×1, this time Kelce in charge of the motion. Patrick Queen follows, but there isn’t much other obvious communication.
The Steelers are playing Cover 2. Kelce slow-played his route before cutting up the seam and Mahomes took an open hit in the end zone.
Again, it is difficult to assign blame here. As a general rule, the Steelers are playing Cover 2 correctly. 2 deep, 5 under. Rather than pattern matching, they often play spot drop zones, where coverages “match” based on the route of the offense. This allowed Kelce to get behind and score.
Should Sutton have carried him? Is the queen supposed to carry seam root here? Only the team knows for sure. But the result is all the same.
final thoughts
None of these can be satisfactory answers. There is more than enough frustration among players and the fan base. It’s not just a one-off issue that could happen to any team, but to see these issues happening in multiple contests late in the season is extremely concerning. Getting back to a daily practice schedule with actual reps can be helpful. Lack of personnel is always a problem, but it’s even more of a problem when there’s a clear problem that needs to be addressed.
Things like simple motion and struggling with 3×1 formations shouldn’t stress the Steelers’ defense as much as they do right now. But that was a common theme in many of these clips. We must also mention these common points.
Pittsburgh communicates on the field. As you can see. However, these messages are not always received. That happened with Andrews and Worthy’s scores. Those moments are when offenses that rely on speed, getting the ball quickly out of motion, or focusing on communication after breaking through the huddle are hurting.
These issues need to be fixed. That’s clear enough. The team will continue testing until the Steelers finally prove they are on the same page.
