Carter's Classroom: Can offense rebound vs. Vikings' star-studded defense?

After the Steelers' offense managed to score only two touchdowns against the Browns last week, questions linger about whether the offense still has rust to work off and how it might perform moving forward.

The Browns' defense was missing Joe Haden, its most recognized star in recent seasons who is now with the Steelers, and their number one overall pick in Myles Garrett, yet they still managed to limit the Steelers' offense to just two touchdown drives.

If there was ever a time for a quick turnaround, the Steelers could use it now as they prepare to face a defense that features five players who have played in the Pro Bowl and several other young stars working into their prime.

We take a look at how the Steelers can attack this talented defense:



KEY MATCHUP:
Countering Vikings' aggressive defense

The Steelers face a defensive scheme that will share similarities with the Browns' in that both units employ 4-3 defensive fronts with an emphasis on stopping the run.

Before looking to the Vikings, we take a look at some of the problems in the Steelers' running game that held Le'Veon Bell to just 32 yards on ten carries.

One major reason was because the Browns were throwing everything at the Steelers when it came to sending extra help from their defensive backs to close down running lanes, taking away any space Bell would have to work.

Watch how they use a corner blitz to accompany Jamie Collins and blow up the running play before Bell can even get going:



Even when the Browns did back off their safeties, the offensive line had a hard time getting a push to change the line of scrimmage and clog up linebackers at the second level.

The play below is an example of that as the Steelers' offensive line does open up a hole for Bell, but he is eventually tracked down by a linebacker who remained free and limited the play to only three yards:



Even when an offensive line is running a zone blocking scheme, it is vital for them to be able to get a good jump off the ball and push their assignments up the field to create more space for the running back to work and set up his moves against free defenders.

Sometimes that requires trap plays and different blocking schemes that set up defensive linemen by allowing them to gain ground temporarily only to get crushed by a pulling lineman from the other side. The Steelers have a strong history of executing these type of run schemes very well, with David DeCastro, Ramon Foster, any tight end or even Maurkice Pouncey being the pull options.

They might need that as the they face the Vikings' very physical front. Watch how the unit is able to completely decimate the Saints' offensive line and stop the running play before it can even begin.

Keep an eye on the nose tackle, Linval Joseph No. 98, as he easily shoves Pro Bowl center Max Unger out of the way to tackle Alvin Kamara:



Joseph is one of those five Pro Bowl players on the Vikings' defense and a Super Bowl champion with the Giants. He is physical, experienced and will need to be a point of emphasis for Pouncey, DeCastro and Foster to blow out of the hole if the Steelers want to run inside.

Even without Joseph, this defensive front boasts another Pro Bowler in Everson Joseph, another Pro Bowl player in Anthony Barr at strong side linebacker and a rising star in Eric Kendricks at middle linebacker.

When the Steelers are able to get some push on Joseph, it will be important to find ways to isolate Bell with single players in space and keep the aggressive Vikings defense guessing so that they can't fly into running gaps.

Watch how they have Harrison Smith, a Pro Bowl safety, come into the box and help crowd the line. Even when Unger is able to get Joseph out of the hole with a double team, the Vikings are able to provide support with Barr coming to fill the inside and the team playing solid gap responsibility:



If you pay attention to the end of the play you'll see the Vikings' cornerback, Trae Waynes, flying into the gap to make the tackle on Kamara. That's something that the Vikings' secondary will be happy to do as they are quickly becoming one of the NFL's most physical units.

Waynes, Smith, cornerback Xavier Rhodes and safety Andrew Sendejo are all more than capable of helping in run support and have the speed to get there in a hurry. When a defense is this aggressive, running the ball straight at them becomes a tall task, even for an offensive line that's as talented as the Steelers'.

To counter this, the Steelers need to find ways to play off the Vikings' aggressiveness with counter runs, trap plays and, most importantly, play-action passes.

Defenders who have to get aggressive will do their jobs by following the offensive line and reading their keys in front of them, so it would pay off to set up the Vikings' defensive front with play-action passes that neutralize their aggressiveness and freeze the secondary just enough for the Steelers' playmakers to get moving.

Watch how Drew Brees rolls away from his protection in a bootleg to hit Ted Ginn Jr. who came across the field from the other side of the formation to catch an easy pass and gain eight yards:



Calling plays like this on first down will help prevent the Vikings' defense from getting into their comfort zone of being aggressive against the run so that they can force predictable passing situations and allow their pass rushers to pin their ears back.

Doing this will force their secondary to be focused on only their coverage assignments rather than balancing that with their gap responsibility should the run be an option.

Look for Todd Haley to give Ben Roethlisberger some options at the line of scrimmage to check into misdirection plays that lure the Vikings to where they think the play is going, but to hit players like Jesse James, Eli Rogers and other options where the defense vacates.

THREE MATCHUPS TO WATCH
Sam Bradford vs. Steelers' zone coverage schemes:

The Steelers were able to fool DeShone Kizer enough last week to record seven sacks and nab a key red zone interception. But this weekend they will face Sam Bradford, an experienced NFL quarterback who set a single-season NFL record with a 71.6 completion percentage.

Bradford presents a different challenge as he's a veteran pocket passer who will be able to switch between his reads much easier than Kizer. He also knows how to attack traditional schemes with each play and will be able to identify what kind of defense he faces at the line.

For example, the play below is an example where the Saints went into a Cover 2 defense. The scheme has two safeties who each play half of the deepest portion of the field while the cornerbacks and linebackers play underneath coverage.

The Vikings run an unconventional smash route combination, as they roll their running back out of the backfield to run a curl route, while having their tight end Kyle Rudolph run a corner pattern over the running back.

As the cornerback and linebacker both converge on the running back, Rudolph's corner route allows him to create easy separation against the safety and an easy passing window for Bradford, resulting in a touchdown:



Zone defense like this requires coordinated passing off of players as they progress through the zone. In this instance it made sense for the cornerback to come from his outside zone coverage to help against the running back, but doing so exposed that corner of the defense behind him.

Route combinations like the one that Bradford hit to Rudolph with are designed to attack specific defenders that the quarterback identifies before the snap and force those defenders into committing to a decision.

When the cornerback committed to the running back underneath, Bradford immediately knew the corner route would be open. That's not the cornerback's fault. It's just what good quarterbacks can do to zone defenses when they recognize the scheme they face and don't have any pressure in their face.

To counter this, the Steelers need to find ways to confuse Bradford with their safety alignment.

For example, should the Steelers present the same look the Saints did in the play above, instead of playing a traditional Cover 2, they could back up the cornerback into defending that third of the field, bump up the safety to guard the middle of the field and have the linebacker playing underneath and waiting for the running back.

That presents a completely different look and will force Bradford to reconsider what his read was on that side of the field and decide to either still try throwing into a coverage he did not expect, or turn to the other side of the field to look for his secondary reads.

Either way, it forces Bradford to go away from his timing patterns and gives the pass rush more time to disrupt the pocket.

While that's a very specific example, the Steelers should come prepared with several coverage switches to try and throw Bradford off and put pressure on him to make difficult reads. It might also help to switch into man coverage when aligned in positions that usually suggest a zone coverage scheme.

Adam Thielen and Stephon Diggs vs. Artie Burns and Joseph Haden:

The Vikings have a very talented pair of receivers to work with in Adam Thielen and Stephon Diggs. Both are fast, with Diggs being the faster option, and can hurt a secondary that gives them too much space to work.

Diggs and Thielen torched the Saints' secondary on Monday night. Thielen led the team in yardage with 157 yards on nine receptions while Diggs led the Vikings with two touchdown receptions as part of his seven catches for 93 yards.

The Vikings will line up Diggs more often outside the numbers and allow him to test the defense deep, but Thielen is a player they put in the slot, bunch up with other receivers and move all over the place to create more options for him to get open.

Here's an example of a corner route where Thielen comes out of a bunched formation. With the secondary having to back off, he uses the space that creates to catch a solid pass from Bradford:



The Saints came out in a lineup here that pretty much said, "Hey, we're going to be in man coverage," and again, Bradford recognized it and took advantage.

I expect Burns to draw more matchups with Diggs and for Haden to face off against Thielen, so as the Steelers come out in their different packages, look for these pairs to go against each other.

The Steelers will most likely use man coverage now and again to let their two cornerbacks work and try to confuse Bradford. If they can manage to limit the success of Bradford's best weapons it will force the Vikings' offense to win more often with Rudolph and running backs Latavius Murray and rookie Dalvin Cook.

Those are matchups the Steelers might look forward to, since those options aren't as dangerous as Thielen and Diggs.

Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant vs. Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes:

While the Vikings have their playmakers at wide receiver, so do the Steelers. And just like the Steelers' defense, the Vikings boast two starting cornerbacks who were drafted in the first round in Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes.

Both cornerbacks are very fast players who can cover deep passes as well as fly up to the line of scrimmage and make plays in run support. Rhodes is the more experienced of the two as he enters his fifth season in the NFL. He is coming off a Pro Bowl season where he recorded five interceptions and ten passes defensed.

Waynes is the faster of the two. He ran a 4.31 time in the 40-yard dash at his NFL scouting combine. His speed and prowess in coverage made him the 11th overall pick of the 2015 NFL draft and his ascent on the Vikings' depth chart has allowed them to play a lot more aggressively with the rest of the defense.

The Vikings' 4-3 front has a lot of help from its safeties in run defense and in covering receiving threats at tight end and from the slot.

That is a lot easier for them to do because the Vikings are more than comfortable leaving both Rhodes and Waynes on their own islands against opposing offenses to cover receivers.

But what the Vikings consider a strength is a place the Steelers could find a weak spot in this defense.

The Steelers have the NFL's best quarterback-to-receiver chemistry in how Roethlisberger works with Antonio Brown, so expect several sharp routes and cutting plays outside the numbers with Brown facing off against either of the cornerbacks.

What helps with that advantage is that the Vikings' cornerbacks, at least on film, do not follow the top receivers of opposing teams. Both Rhodes and Waynes play their respective sides of the field no matter where a team's top receiver and No. 2 wide receiver line up.

Noting this, the Steelers might have the chance to pick at either cornerback by playing against his weaknesses.

Waynes is a cornerback who has great straight-line speed but is still developing his coverage skills, so matching Brown up against him may allow Roethlisberger to throw sharp timing patterns based on Brown's route-running skills.

Rhodes, on the other hand, has proven quite adept at sticking with solid route-runners in the NFL. While Brown could still probably take advantage of Rhodes at times, matching Martavis Bryant against Rhodes could be more advantageous to what the Steelers want to do to the Vikings.

If Bryant's speed can get the best of Rhodes on deep patterns, it will force the Vikings to either provide safety help over the top or hope that he can keep up with a receiver who is definitely faster and has three inches on him.

If the Vikings leave Rhodes alone on his island against Bryant, it's just up to Roethlisberger to decide when to test it. But if the Vikings bump back Smith or Sendejo to provide with deep help, that's one less safety who can be aggressive and help in run support.

If the Steelers' receivers are able to come out and make plays early against the Vikings' secondary, look for the Vikings to try to adjust at some point and back off their aggressive style of defense by helping their cornerbacks deal with the Steelers' receivers.

In turn, that would be the perfect time for the Steelers to start going to Bell and finding ways to take advantage of a defense on its heels.