Carter's Classroom: Linebackers on receivers dilemma a personnel fix

Disguises and schematics can only hide so many weaknesses, especially when those weaknesses are in the heart of the defense. That's what led to the Browns' offense scoring 41 of their 48 points in the Steelers' playoff loss Sunday.

That loss was more similar to the 2018 playoff loss to the Jaguars than just the turnovers and the early deficit of more than 20 points. Both seasons featured Steelers defenses with effective cover linebackers lost to injury, and defenses that masked those injuries as long as they could before their final losses.

I'm, of course, talking about Ryan Shazier and Devin Bush.

Injuries alone are not excuses for losses, as the Browns had several of their own to overcome in their first win at Heinz Field since 2003. But ignoring those weaknesses when analyzing those losses leaves an incomplete picture of what happened. And having only Vince Williams, Robert Spillane, and Avery Williamson at linebacker were the weaknesses the Browns needed to exploit in the middle of the field.

Their limitations forced the Steelers into a guessing game with their personnel, where Spillane would be the sole linebacker against singleback formations and he would be accompanied by another linebacker on the Browns' heavier formations.

When that happens, those linebackers can be susceptible to losing coverage battles in the middle of the field. You've probably seen this tweet by former NFL cornerback Darius Butler who expressed confusion over why the Steelers were caught with Spillane covering Jarvis Landry:

But simply expressing dismay at a mismatch the Browns exploited just twice in Sunday's game can miss the point of why the mismatch happened in the first place. It was third and two, and the Browns came out with three tight ends, one running back and a receiver, otherwise known as 13 personnel.

But the Browns motioned out Kareem Hunt to the flat just a few seconds before the snap. Doing so forced the Steelers' zone defense to leave Spillane and Williams in the middle of the field:

But, as Butler asked on Twitter, why not call man coverage there and allow Spillane to run to the flat?

If he paid any attention to how the game had gone to that point, the answer would be simple.

The Steelers had tried that several times earlier in the game and it hadn't worked; especially on short down and distance situations or when the Browns were under no pressure to throw the ball. 

Here's the Browns first run of the game when the Steelers left Spillane as the only linebacker on the field while the Browns spread the field with three receivers and a tight end. The Steelers' defensive personnel included three linemen, three linebackers, and five defensive backs with Mike Hilton and Terrell Edmunds helping underneath.

But as you can see, Edmunds and Spillane are not elite run defenders in the box and were unable to win in the hole even against the Browns' reserve linemen:

It became an obvious problem that the Steelers had tried to disguise the final months.

Bush was a major factor in that not being a problem for when he was healthy. Since Bush was drafted in 2019, the Steelers allowed over 100 rushing yards had only nine games of the 21 contests Bush played. That number was almost matched with the eight games the Steelers allowed over 100 yards rushing in just the eleven games played without Bush in 2020.

That's because his athleticism and instincts covered up those problems. Here's another example of when the Steelers left Spillane as the lone linebacker in the middle of the defense. You can see him be indecisive against the run even while left unblocked as Hunt charges forward for a 12-yard gain:

Each of those situations involved the Steelers coming out with similar defensive looks to what Butler described as the better option on Twitter.

The fact remains that with the Steelers' roster limitations without Bush and Gilbert, the Browns and other strong rushing offenses could put them at a guessing game with their personnel in the middle of the field.

Either the Steelers come out with man coverage looks that weaken the middle of the field against the run, or they use zone defense and leave the linebackers guarding the middle of the field and susceptible to receivers running routes in that area.

It happens to every team at some point, even some teams with exceptional defenders in the middle of the field. Here's Tremaine Edmunds for the Bills in zone coverage having to guard Robert Woods of the Rams and getting beat for 31 yards. Edmunds is one of the most athletic inside linebackers in the NFL, complete with size, speed and instincts to help against the run:

If you watch enough football, you'll see every team get beat with a matchup like that at some point, even in key situations.

The key to avoiding those moments is keeping opponents from being in situations advantageous enough to exploit them. The Browns were an offense working with reserve linemen and dependent on the balance of a strong run game with Nick Chubb and a passing game with Baker Mayfield that played off it with play action.

To keep the Browns from living off that offense, the Steelers needed to jump out to an early lead that put pressure on them to score by throwing down the field. As Tom Reed and I explained on DK Sports Radio all last week, the Browns are a team that lives off being frontrunners. When Maurkice Pouncey hands a seven point lead with the first play of the game, that plan suffers a setback.

And then it gets thrown right out the window when Ben Roethlisberger threw three interceptions in the first 20 minutes of the game. Had the Browns been in more situations where the Steelers didn't have to worry about their ground game, Mayfield might not have had as comfortable of a game.

Here's a third and long situation where the Steelers used man coverage behind an aggressive blitz. Mayfield has to quickly get rid of the ball, but that allows the aggressive press coverage from Sutton to take away his primary target for a stop:

Had Mayfield not been handed a double-digit lead just five minutes into the game, maybe he feels more pressure in moments like these to hold onto the ball make a play downfield.

Holding onto the ball might lead to a sack or maybe a turnover, playing into the Steelers' defensive strengths. But with the Browns never in that situation, their hand was never forced to taking such risks.

The Steelers' hand was forced defensively to keep masking over their own weaknesses in the middle of the field. They worked for a time, but needed the team's other strengths to outweigh those weaknesses when attacked. 

Moving forward, the Steelers' defensive problems that the Browns picked at were issues that compounded from a concentrated attack at their weaknesses. Addressing that depth in the offseason should be a concern for the depth chart should Bush be unavailable in key games.