Sean Davis didn't seem interested in dwelling on what he and the Steelers had just done well defensively in Detroit. Sure, the 24-year-old safety sounded relieved Monday at the Rooney Sports Complex, both with the 20-15 victory and the team's record being 6-2 as they enter the bye week, but he was visibly bothered by how the game was won.
The secondary, which had been ranked No. 1 in the NFL against the pass entering Sunday, allowed Matthew Stafford to throw for 423 yards. And with all the talented quarterbacks remaining on the schedule, not least of whom is Tom Brady, there is now a sense of urgency to correct all that went wrong, particularly in zone coverage.
"Yeah, we got the victory and didn't allow any touchdowns against a top-tier quarterback, but we didn't play great," Davis told DKPittsburghSports.com Monday. "We can't pat ourselves on the back too much. We have a lot of work to do."
That may sound like too harsh of a self-evaluation, especially after what the Steelers accomplished in the red zone and on third down, but each of the Lions' five field goals was set up by Stafford throwing his way down the field. Although the Steelers allowed just 71 rushing yards and the Lions were 0 for 5 in the red zone, Stafford completed 27 of 45 passes, including six completions of 25 or more yards. Before Sunday, the Steelers had been allowing only 147 passing yards per game and had surrendered only four total completions of 25 or more yards.
So, what went wrong in the Motor City?
Stafford had success against the Steelers' zone coverages, the secondary repeatedly missed assignments, and there also was trouble tackling after the catch.
Stafford averaged 8.7 yards per completion and had nine different receivers with at least one reception, keeping the Steelers' defense off balance on first and second down in particular. Marvin Jones had six catches for 128 yards — the first receiver to surpass 100 yards against the Steelers this season — while TJ Jones and Golden Tate both had more than 80.
Davis was upset following the performance, but Joe Haden had a different perspective on what occurred. Perhaps the Steelers' top performer in the secondary against the Lions, Haden said the mishaps were the result of minor mistakes by the cornerbacks or safeties that won't necessarily lead to big plays against lesser quarterbacks.
"In those zone coverages, those are really tight windows," Haden told me. "The only other quarterback I've played who can really make those throws is Aaron Rodgers. The dude has so much arm talent, bro. Being able to play against him yesterday, I have so much more respect for him as a quarterback and the throws he can make. The receivers did a good job, too, but that dude was literally throwing guys open."
Yes, the margin for error was quite thin against Stafford, especially with how well his receivers have performed in recent weeks. On the Lions' first drive, Artie Burns was beaten at the line of scrimmage, but had the speed to gain ground on Marvin Jones downfield.
However, Stafford's accuracy was enough to place the ball perfectly to Jones for a 43-yard completion, which helped set up Matt Prater's game-tying 48-yard field goal:
That throw is likely incomplete from most quarterbacks in the NFL, including those in the AFC North, but Stafford exposed Burns' youthful mistake. A few completions were the result of miscues by the safeties — especially after Mike Mitchell was lost to an ankle injury in the third quarter — but Haden pointed to a number of throws where either he or Burns didn't make a necessary adjustment in zone coverage.
On a 25-yard completion to TJ Jones in the second quarter, there was too much room between Burns and Mitchell, which gave Stafford just enough of a window to fire a pass between the two defenders:
Those sort of plays will serve as a lesson for the Steelers' young secondary, particularly Burns, Davis and even Mike Hilton, who excelled at slot cornerback again.
"You can learn a lot of things from a game like that," Hilton said. "You see the type of quarterback he is. ... It shows we have to shore up some holes in our secondary. It was really just hole shots between the safety and cornerback. We need to get him to check down more."
That was the plan. Haden emphasized to the cornerbacks to not play Stafford the same as any other quarterback in the NFL. Instead of allowing room between the corner and the safety, the goal was for the cornerbacks to play deeper, forcing Stafford to go to his check-down receivers on more shallow routes. But Burns and Haden both generally played up too far, giving Stafford just enough room to complete those difficult throws.
Future opponents will surely take a long look at what the Steelers did incorrectly against the Lions and target any weaknesses in what has been a formidable secondary, so there is an emphasis during the bye week to fix those mistakes in zone coverage.
After all, Brady did have quite a bit of success against the Steelers' zone in the AFC Championship Game last season.
"We have to understand going against Stafford (that) we have to play it differently than playing against other quarterbacks, or when you’re playing against dudes who can make those throws, because not everybody can throw it 30 yards on the line," Haden said. "Some guys will put a little more air on it to let you get into your zone and get to those passes. ... Not many guys can make those throws, but we still have to make the corrections."