Nearly every day in training camp at Saint Vincent College each summer, the Pittsburgh Steelers put their offense and defense head-to-head in a very popular drill called Seven Shots.
The drill includes seven plays run from the 2-yard line with the defense aiming to stop the offense, seeing who wins each rep to get a best-of-seven score. More often than not, the Steelers’ star-studded defense held its own.
That daily drill isn’t just a fun training camp drill to get the competitive juices flowing, either. It’s a real-game situation that has real game implications. Having that work in training camp to lean on paid dividends late in Sunday’s 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium.
Facing a 1st and goal from the 7-yard line after a Gunner Olszewski fumble on a punt return in the fourth quarter and a 20-yard return by Baltimore cornerback Kevon Seymour, the Steelers’ defense found itself in a comfortable position, at least according to star pass rusher T.J. Watt.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer after the game for an SI.com article, Watt stated that the Steelers knew that the situation was just like seven-shot football and that they knew what calls they liked down there and leaned on the work they’ve done in those situations previously.
“We do that every single day in training camp,” Watt said to Breer, according to an article via SI.com. “You get the offense versus defense, seven shots, live, ball on the 2-yard line. Those are things that we prepare for every single day of training camp and once a week in season. At that point, it’s just like this is seven-shot football.
“We know what calls we like down here. We’ve run them hundreds, if not thousands, of times. Just execute your job and we’re going to be all right.”
The Steelers executed their jobs and ended up alright.
After a 3-yard run by Baltimore’s Gus Edwards on first down, the Ravens decided to go away from the run and put the football in quarterback Lamar Jackson’s hands. Jackson had a well-designed shovel pass to tight end Mark Andrews, but Steelers linebacker Kwon Alexander blew it up, forcing third down.
Seeing a favorable matchup on the outside to his right with veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. against rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr., Jackson targeted Beckham on the fade route. Porter played it perfectly, undercut the pass and made his first career interception. That kept the Ravens off the board and preserved a 10-8 game, giving the Steelers’ offense the ball at the 20-yard line.
The interception set up the game-winning drive from Kenny Pickett, George Pickens and the Steelers’ offense.
Hats off to the defense for coming through in the clutch late in the game with its back against the wall, bailing the Steelers out in a big spot after being put at a disadvantage. That training camp work paid off.
