It's been six seasons since the Steelers last had an individual player reach double digits in sacks. James Harrison did it in 2010, leading the team with 10.5. But that hasn't stopped them from producing solid sack numbers in recent seasons.
They had 47 in 2015, 38 last year, and they're on an even better pace this season with 26 in their first eight games, a total that is tied for fourth in the NFL coming out of their bye week. They're just off the pace for the team record of 55, set in 1994 and matched in 2001.
Though they have an outside chance of having an individual player reach at least 10 sacks this season, the Steelers are, once again, producing their sacks from a number of different players.
Ten different Steelers have sacks already this season, led by defensive end Cameron Heyward's five. Surprisingly, two of the team's more explosive defensive players, inside linebacker Ryan Shazier and defensive end Stephon Tuitt, have yet to record a sack, though Tuitt missed four-plus games in the first half with arm and back issues. Shazier and Tuitt, who is expected to return to the lineup when the Steelers (6-2) travel to Indianapolis (3-6) Sunday, should find a way to add to the team's sack total in the second half of the season.
But in a year in which three individual players in the league have already reached double digits and more than 20 others are halfway to that total, the Steelers remain something of an outlier.
"I'm not opposed to guys putting up freakish numbers, but we strive for balance," Mike Tomlin said Tuesday when I asked him about the sack totals at his weekly press conference inside the Rooney Sports Complex. "We're a group that likes to attack you from all levels, d-line, linebackers, secondary. I think our numbers not only reflect that this year, but in recent years. We want to have balance on what we do defensively, whether it's the number of people we bring or the number of people we employ in coverage or the manner in which we do those things. We're looking for balance, and I think the numbers from a sack standpoint kind of reflect that mentality."
Keith Butler has long wanted to create pressure with just a four-man rush and might have his best defense with which to do that. Not having Tuitt available, however. has forced him to get creative a little more than he'd like, at times.
"A lot depends on who is playing for us," Butler admitted. "Who’s available that day is tough like that and our guys have done a good job."
The Colts could present an opportunity for the Steelers to add to their sack total in a big way. Indianapolis has given up a league-worst 36 this season and has allowed fewer than three in a game just once in its first nine outings.
The Steelers defenders are hopeful they can have similar success this week. There's even a chance for a player to have a breakout game.
Jacksonville had 10 against the Colts in a 27-0 win over Indianapolis Oct. 22, including multiple sacks by defensive ends Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue. Arizona's Chandler Jones and Houston's Eddie Pleasant also have had multi-sack games against the Colts.
"I feel like I've missed some opportunities," linebacker Bud Dupree, who had three sacks in the first half, told me. "I feel like I'm a little behind. We'll come out the last eight weeks steaming."
FOCUS ON TURNOVERS, SPLASH
Tomlin said the big takeaways he had when assessing his team's play from the first half of the season were its negative turnover ratio and a lack of what he called "splash plays," both offensively and defensively.
The Steelers are minus-1 in turnover ratio, having turned the ball over 12 times and taken it away 11.
"We're minus-1. That usually doesn't go along with (being) 6-2," Tomlin said. "I know one of those games really skews that number because we turned the ball over (five times) against Jacksonville. Nevertheless, it's one of those areas where we'd like to be better. We need to take care of the ball better. We need to get the ball more. Usually, teams that are on the rise do a good job taking care of the ball and, increasingly, a better job of getting the ball."
The Steelers actually lead the league in 40-yard passing plays with nine, but are at the bottom of the league in explosive running plays. The Steelers have just three runs of 20 or more yards and are one of 11 teams that do not have a run of 40 or more yards.
They also rank at the bottom of the league in kickoff returns, are averaging just 5.2 yards per punt return and have scored just one defensive touchdown, that coming off a blocked punt in the opening game of the season.
"(We want to be) a group that's opportunistic and be capable of cashing in on opportunities when presented over the course of the second half of the year," Tomlin said. "We've had splash plays on offense we've missed over the first half of the year that could have made our journey easier. We've had splash plays on defense missed. Specifically, we had an interception opportunity at the end of our last ballgame that could have created a scenario where our offense wouldn't have to earn a first down in order for us to secure victory."
TOMLIN OPTIMISTIC ON INJURIES
Tomlin sounded optimistic that injured players Marcus Gilbert (hamstring), Tuitt (back) and Vance McDonald (knee) all will be back against the Colts after missing at least the last game against Detroit.
All three practiced on Monday as the team returned from its bye week.
"We won't assume anything," Tomlin said. "We'll continue to watch the guys who have missed time in terms of preparation for this game and make necessary plans according to what we see."
One new injury has cropped up.
Safety Mike Mitchell suffered an Achilles' tendon strain at the end of the victory in Detroit and was on and off the field at times in that game. He did not practice last week when the team worked on Tuesday and Tomlin remains cautiously optimistic about his potential to play against Indianapolis.
"We essentially shut him down last week," Tomlin said. "We'll get him revved back up and see where he is in terms of game readiness."
BRYANT BACK IN GOOD GRACES
Martavis Bryant was benched against the Lions and spent the week leading up to that game practicing with the scout team.
Tomlin was non-committal when asked about Bryant's status moving forward in the aftermath of the win over the Lions but changed his tune Tuesday.
"He did a nice job of dealing with the suspension and working hard to get better at his craft," Tomlin said of Bryant. "That being said, we're moving forward. As in all cases, even the injured guys, we'll let preparation be our guide moving forward. I'm comfortable with the trajectory of where he is coming off of the inaction."
What changed Tomlin's mind?
"He just came to work with a good attitude like everyone else," Tomlin said.