It might seem like the most basic thing in all of football defensively, but tackling is of the utmost importance for the Pittsburgh Steelers on that side of the football entering the Week One matchup against the San Francisco 49ers at Acrisure Stadium.
Squaring off against an offense featuring high-level athletes like running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, and tight end George Kittle, the Steelers have to do a good job of getting guys on the ground quickly, especially in space, to limit the big plays.
Veteran cornerback Levi Wallace emphasized that point during a brief interview with the media Wednesday.
“They have so many good athletes. I think we just have to tackle,” Wallace said to reporters, according to video via the Steelers Live Twitter account. “I think they have some really good guys that have to get the ball in the hands. They’re really good and they get down the field and they can score. They’re really explosive and so we have to do a good job at tackling.”
Wallace’s comments echo those that head coach Mike Tomlin made on Tuesday during his weekly press conference with the media.
“And so they can throw short and run long and produce big plays without absorbing a significant amount of risk. What does that mean for us? We better tackle well,” Tomlin said to reporters during his Tuesday press conference, according to video via the Steelers YouTube page. “We better be sound schematically in terms of some matchup related things and not put people in bad circumstances athletically. It’s a coach’s challenge. It’s a fundamental technical player’s challenge from a tackling standpoint.
Tackling is an important part of the game on Sunday for the Steelers. It’s important every game at the NFL level, but this week there is an added emphasis due to the weapons the 49ers have and the way they are able to get guys into space.
Last season, Pittsburgh missed 97 total tackles based on charting done here at Steelers Depot. Of those 97, eight tackles were missed on special teams, meaning the defense missed 89 tackles over 17 games.
Not a bad number overall. In fact, that was a significant improvement for the Steelers in 2023 in that department. They did well in the preseason too this summer, tackling well in the three wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Buffalo Bills and the Atlanta Falcons, missing just 19 tackles in the three preseason games.
The 49ers have some great players, ones that do damage in space with the football, which makes it very challenging for opposing defenses.
Last season, according to Pro Football Focus, the 49ers forced 77 missed tackles in the run game and another 80 in the passing game. McCaffrey added 18 as a runner and eight as a receiver for San Francisco, while Samuel led the way with 32 as a receiver and 15 as a runner in the 49ers’ offense.
Aiyuk and Kittle added 16 and 10, respectively, as receivers.
It’s a dangerous offense, one that dominates in space and puts its players in favorable situations with space to create. After tackling well last season and carrying that over into the preseason coming off of an intense training camp, the Steelers have to keep that intensity and soundness in the tackling department.
Limiting the missed tackles and doing a good job in space of winning matchups and getting guys onto the ground will be key in determining the outcome of the game.
It sounds simple, but it’s easier said than done.
