The Pittsburgh Steelers defense gave up a big run for the second straight week in their Monday Night Football win, allowing Cleveland Browns RB Jerome Ford to break off a 69-yard run down to the one-yard line, eventually leading to a touchdown. Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick was asked about whether the Steelers are too aggressive in their pursuit and specifically mentioned that play as an example of why they’re not.
“I don’t think it’s overpursuit. This week’s play was one of those plays where you could tell the corner to play it differently, but what he seen, I would do the same thing, turned my hips. Cause he looked like he was going the other way,” Fitzpatrick said via the Steelers’ YouTube channel.
The corner in question is Levi Wallace, who was criticized on the broadcast for not holding backside containment. Ford looked like he was running right but cut back around and looped left around the whole defense. He didn’t score thanks to a shoestring tackle by Fitzpatrick, one on which he got injured.
Wallace is really the only backside guy on that play who could’ve stopped Ford before he broke off a big run. But Wallace turned his hips and went to pursue Ford before he cut back and burned Pittsburgh’s defense.
Watching the run, it’s tough to fully blame Wallace since Ford did seem committed to running right. But he ran into a wall of T.J. Watt manhandling Browns TE Harrison Bryant and made the smart decision to cut it back, where Wallace had completely lost contain.
Where Wallace went wrong was not just following his path in the backfield. and instead moving diagonally to where there was a sea of Steelers defenders who could’ve wrapped up Ford had he gotten by Watt. Even if he didn’t stay in contain, if he had tried to chase Ford down from behind, he likely would’ve been in much better position to make a play than he was with the decision he made.
In the overall picture of things though, overpursuit isn’t really the issue with the Steelers. It’s been missed tackles once they get their hands on runners, allowing them to break free and pick up bigger gains. That has to be cleaned up going forward.
Sunday wasn’t a banner day for Wallace, and this play was another blemish on his night. You can see why he tried to make a play, but ultimately his responsibility there is to try and hold contain and let the other 10 guys make a play on the running back. Even if Fitzpatrick says he would’ve done the same thing, football is a team game. You have to trust the rest of the guys to make a play there and stay in your role to not allow a big play.
That didn’t happen, but it’s definitely a good teaching moment for the Pittsburgh defense. Even when the play looks like it’s going one way, guys have to stick to their gap and zone responsibilities and try to not to be a hero because you can end up looking a goat.
