The Pittsburgh Steelers controlled the football for 35 minutes and 36 seconds over the Atlanta Falcons in the season opener. Both DL Cameron Heyward and QB Justin Fields were equally thrilled about it and credited the opposite side. As you might guess, when you have that much possession disparity, the truth is in the middle.
The Steelers did well on possession downs on offense and defense. They sustained drives better and collected three turnovers, which always helps. While the Falcons had some long drives, they also had some very short ones. The Steelers had four drives over four minutes long compared to Atlanta’s one.
“I think that’s huge”, Heyward said, via the team’s website. “Coach Arthur Smith has already said we’re trying to keep as many times as they can be on the field and just keep converting those turnovers into touchdowns”.
On just the Steelers’ first three possessions alone, they ate up over 15 minutes of clock time. Those drives combined to produce 28 plays, even with a net of 72 yards. The defense struggled at first, but picked it up in the second half, pitching a 30-minute shutout.
“I think it’s not just about them being on the field”, Heyward said of Fields and the Steelers’ offense. “It’s about us getting off the field. We have to do a good job getting three-and-outs, holding up our end, making the tougher situations on third down. And then we can have a lot of success”.
The Steelers did produce four three-and-outs or their equivalents on 10 drives. They picked off Kick Cousins on the second play of the Falcons’ second drive. On their final four possessions, they forced a trio of three-and-outs and an interception in between. That’s music to Justin Fields’ ears.
“It makes my job easier knowing that I don’t have to force stuff downfield, knowing that a punt isn’t the worst thing in the world”, he said, via the Steelers’ website. When you have T.J. [Watt] and a d-line like that and them doing their thing on that side of the ball, it definitely makes the offensive side easier. Especially when they’re creating turnovers”.
Fields has never played with that caliber of defense before, so it was a new experience for him. The Steelers are no strangers to that brand of football, of course, but they also believe they are peaking now. With the amount of defensive talent they currently have, they certainly should be.
Last year, the offense did the defense no favors, especially early. The Steelers could not sustain drives to save their lives, and that left the defense running ragged. A compromised secondary hindered their ability to get off the field on possession downs, exacerbating the issue.
Now they hope they have a possession offense that can help keep the defense fresh—and a defense that can light it up without so much overexposure due to incompetent offense. At least on paper, the Steelers have a recipe for success. Of course, that recipe tasted like field goals Week 1, and that has to change, too.
