This is real, tangible, massive change for this defense. The Bengals exposed the Steelers' "coverage people" strategy, which was built around having a group of Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr. being able to man up against any receivers. As we know now, the Bengals shredded that to pieces, highlighted by Ja'Marr Chase catching 16 passes for 161 yards and one touchdown in the 33-31 loss.
This past Sunday, the Steelers went with a massive shift to much more zone coverage. Sure, it was going to allow catches here and there. And it did, even on downs such as third-and-11 on the Bengals' first series of the game. However, it took away quick options for Joe Flacco, forcing him to hold onto the ball a bit longer, which paved the way for the pass rush to create pressure.
The uptick in zone coverage also aligns with the strengths of many more players on the defense. At this point, only Porter is really equipped to run a heavy dose of press man coverage, especially with Ramsey's switch to safety. So, the defense locked things down in coverage more often, including limiting Chase to just three catches for 30 yards on 10 targets, because they work better collectively in more zone coverage.
In years past, we've seen Mike Tomlin stubbornly stick to what he believes will eventually work. This is now at least the third time this season in which the defense did something significantly different from what they normally do (the games against the Vikings and Colts), and all three games have resulted in wins.
THE ASYLUM
Massive shift in schematics vs. Bengals
I was curious to see what the actual difference the Steelers would deploy schematically against the Bengals. And, the results are ... wow:
WEEK 11 WIN:
• Man coverage: 9.8%
• Zone coverage: 82.9%
• Middle-field closed (one-high): 29.3%
• Middle-field open (two-high): 70.7%
• Cover 0: 0%
• Cover 1: 7.3%
• Cover 2: 31.7%
• Cover 2 man: 2.4%
• Cover 3: 22%
• Cover 4: 14.6%
• Cover 6: 14.6%
WEEK 7 LOSS:
• Man coverage: 34.7%
• Zone coverage: 57.1%
• Middle-field closed (one-high): 57.1%
• Middle-field open (two-high): 42.9%
• Cover 0: 2%
• Cover 1: 28.6%
• Cover 2: 14.3%
• Cover 2 man: 4.1%
• Cover 3: 26.5%
• Cover 4: 12.2%
• Cover 6: 4.1%
For perspective on this, look at Week 11's breakdown vs. the Steelers' season percentages:
• Man coverage: 34.6% (6th)
• Zone coverage: 61.8% (26th)
• Middle-field closed (one-high): 59.3% (4th)
• Middle-field open (two-high): 40.7% (29th)
• Cover 0: 2.7% (20th)
• Cover 1: 27.8% (5th)
• Cover 2: 12.2% (22nd)
• Cover 2 man: 4.1% (T-5th)
• Cover 3: 31% (T-13th)
• Cover 4: 11.8% (25th)
• Cover 6: 6.8% (T-19th)
Coverage breakdown: FantasyPoints.com.
This is real, tangible, massive change for this defense. The Bengals exposed the Steelers' "coverage people" strategy, which was built around having a group of Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr. being able to man up against any receivers. As we know now, the Bengals shredded that to pieces, highlighted by Ja'Marr Chase catching 16 passes for 161 yards and one touchdown in the 33-31 loss.
This past Sunday, the Steelers went with a massive shift to much more zone coverage. Sure, it was going to allow catches here and there. And it did, even on downs such as third-and-11 on the Bengals' first series of the game. However, it took away quick options for Joe Flacco, forcing him to hold onto the ball a bit longer, which paved the way for the pass rush to create pressure.
The uptick in zone coverage also aligns with the strengths of many more players on the defense. At this point, only Porter is really equipped to run a heavy dose of press man coverage, especially with Ramsey's switch to safety. So, the defense locked things down in coverage more often, including limiting Chase to just three catches for 30 yards on 10 targets, because they work better collectively in more zone coverage.
In years past, we've seen Mike Tomlin stubbornly stick to what he believes will eventually work. This is now at least the third time this season in which the defense did something significantly different from what they normally do (the games against the Vikings and Colts), and all three games have resulted in wins.
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