After failing to get the first down with Alvin Kamara out of the shotgun, Andy Dalton called the Saints back up to the line without a huddle. This time, he went under center.
That was the tell for Robert Spillane and the Steelers defense.
“That’s a major indicator for a sneak," Spillane said.
Dalton did try to sneak, but Spillane was there from the outside to finish the play, and the Saints' chances of coming back. With just 7:44 remaining and up two scores, the game was more or less out of reach:
And while Spillane was the one doing the flying bumps with his teammates as he ran to the sidelines, he acknowledges he wasn't the one who made that play happen.
“Our guys up front did a really fantastic job getting that surge, because without that surge, the quarterback walks for a yard," Spillane said. "They got him to fall back and I just kind of cleaned it up."
Credit Spillane with the tackle, but look at Alex Highsmith. He and Cam Heyward immediately went low, forcing the left side of the Saints' line to go low and lose the leverage battle, and Larry Ogunjobi went high, filled up space and kept the Saints from moving the line off the left side, where Dalton was trying to sneak. Spillane then came in to finish the job.
"I'm getting low," Highsmith said. "I'm doing whatever I can to drive them back. I think we did a good job on that play."
"It's just about making sure there's a pile and then making sure our linebackers can throw over top," Heyward said.
That was the dagger, but just a sample of what the Steelers' run defense was able to do all game, creating problems up front and limiting the Saints to just 29 rush yards on 15 carries. And it's a glimpse of a team that is fifth in the league in what percentage of runs resulted in a first down (21.4%).
Before the third down play to Kamara, the Steelers called a timeout, which actually annoyed Heyward a bit. He thought they were going to get the stop before that. But when they lined up again, they were prepared.
"I felt good about the call," Heyward said. "And then we called a timeout, and I don't think they were ready for it."
“I think it’s always a testament to the resiliency of a team, especially on fourth down stops," Ogunjobi told DK Pittsburgh Sports. "Just guys playing for each other, and we’re excited to get the win.”
