If there’s one thing Pittsburgh Steelers fans hate, it’s stats like pass-rush win rate or pressures on the quarterback. This mainly stems from players like T.J. Watt being nitpicked by the media for not leading the NFL in these stats while also being one of the league leaders in sacks and constantly being one of the most feared pass rushers in football. Even just this past year, it seems Watt was snubbed for another Defensive Player of the Year award because he didn’t have the best numbers, according to these fancier metrics. It seems fans aren’t the only ones who despise these advanced statistical categories. Cam Heyward recently took to Twitter recently to voice his opinion against them.
Responding to a tweet by analyst Trey Wingo that tries to explain why pressures are actually better and more productive than sacks, Heyward made a counterpoint, explaining why pressures shouldn’t be the end all be all.
“Pressures are good but the more productive stat is a sack that can lead to a turnover. Pressures can be misleading and when play results in sacks that’s the goal,” Heyward tweeted.
Wingo’s point isn’t uncommon, but it does seem odd. As Heyward says, pressuring the quarterback isn’t a bad thing, but what does it matter if you never bring him down? Pressure on its own can only get you so far. You can rattle good quarterbacks with solid pressure, but great quarterbacks overcome that and still make plays. Tom Brady did that for years, and Patrick Mahomes is doing it now. Unless you hit them and make them really feel you, they’ll just continue to dissect your defense. Brady didn’t lose three Super Bowls due to pressures alone. He lost because he was getting hit.
Heyward also makes a great point that pressures don’t necessarily lead to turnovers. They can lead to errant throws that become interceptions, but that isn’t guaranteed. A player is much more likely to force a turnover if they sack the quarterback, either by forcing a fumble or hitting the quarterback’s arm and directly impacting the play. Watt is a perfect example of this. He produces a ton of sacks, and as a result, he has a great deal of forced fumbles as well. Punching the ball out is an art, and you can’t do that on a pressure.
Heyward even says all of this himself. Wingo responded to Heyward’s criticism by claiming pressures can lead to turnovers, but Heyward responded by saying that sacks are a definite, while pressures are not. It’s a valid claim and one that has tons of data to back it up.
“Pressures can but aren’t a definite. A sack is a definite in changing the outcome for an offense,” Heyward tweeted. “Yes Chris Jones [a]ffected a play but I’ve seen Pat Mahomes eat up pressures and deliver touchdowns. I could have a crazy move and get home and receive a pressure only for a [QB] to step through and complete.”
Heyward himself is an argument against Wingo’s point. According to Pro Football Reference, outside of last year when he was hurt, Heyward has generally had the same number of pressures in a season since 2018, coming in at around 30 total pressures each year. However, not all of those seasons are incredible for Heyward, with only four sacks to his name in 2020, as opposed to 2021 when he had 10 sacks. The difference in pressures between those years was only one.
Heyward’s tweet won’t magically make the media quit disrespecting sacks as a stat, but it is helpful to get a player’s opinion on the matter, especially one of his caliber. Hopefully, Heyward and the Steelers can come to some sort of agreement about his contract, and he can go back to sacking, not just pressuring, quarterbacks.
