When the Pittsburgh Steelers welcome the Los Angeles Chargers to Acrisure Stadium on Sunday, it will be a battle between two similar teams. The Steelers and Chargers are the top two teams in rushing attempts through two games. Both teams have also fielded fantastic defenses through two weeks, as the top two teams when it comes to points allowed.
But the Steelers just might have a secret weapon on offense that could turn the tide on Sunday. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith loves to trot out three tight ends at a rate higher than any other team in the league. And that can put defenses, even ones as good as the Chargers, in a bind.
“The Steelers, with your boy Artie Smith, leaders in 13 personnel, which is one running back and three tight ends,” said Nate Tice on Friday’s episode of the Football 301 podcast. “So we’ve got the leaders in 22 personnel (the Chargers), the leaders in 13 personnel, this might be a Greg Maddux game that ends in two and a half hours with how much these two teams run the ball. They’re really good out of it, too. That is something I’m very curious to see because I don’t know if the Chargers can hold up against it.”
It isn’t just that the Steelers use 13 personnel more than any other team in the league. Smith’s offense runs plays with three tight ends on 27.9 percent of their plays. The next closest is the Arizona Cardinals who do it 13.3 percent of the time. Only one other team, the Kansas City Chiefs, uses the formation on at least 10 percent of their offensive snaps (13.3 percent).
The league average is 1.6 percent of the time. The Steelers are far and away the team utilizing this grouping the most. But are they using it successfully?
One way to find out is by looking at Expected Points Added. There is a lot that goes into it, so check out The 33rd Team’s breakdown of EPA for more information. But essentially, it’s trying to quantify how much each play increases or decreases an offense’s chance of scoring.
The Steelers average 0.1 EPA out of 13 personnel. So on an average play, the Steelers’ chance of scoring points goes up by 0.1. That’s the sixth-best EPA in the league. NFL teams average -0.03 EPA in 13 personnel. So, the average NFL team’s chance of scoring goes down by 13 personnel, while the Steelers’ chances improve.
So why do the Steelers love to use 13 personnel so much? It’s because of who they have at tight end. They signed Pat Freiermuth to a contract extension right before the season because they believe he can be a great weapon in the passing game. It hasn’t materialized yet this season, but his time could be coming.
But it might just be that Darnell Washington is the one who makes the 13 personnel grouping tick.
Darnell Washington, Secret Weapon
“I feel like their 13 personnel is close to a six o-line package with Darnell Washington,” said Charles McDonald in response to Tice’s talk about the Steelers using 13 personnel. “He’s good, he’s good. And he’s gotten better… The actual down-to-down, in-line blocking with Darnell was not always that consistent. And I think that he has gotten a lot better with that in the NFL… Their 13 personnel, it’s even more bludgeoning than most team’s 13 personnel.”
Tice even gave us a glimpse of a couple of pass blocks from Washington to start the season. When the Steelers took on the Atlanta Falcons to open the season, a lot of people were concerned that Matthew Judon could wreck things for the Steelers. At one point, Washington took on Judon man-to-man and locked him down.
Darnell Washington (#80) with a great rep in pass protection against Matthew Judon. Doesn’t even need the help from the RB. pic.twitter.com/bFqGOpEllf
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) September 12, 2024
Washington has been a good blocker as expected since coming out of the University of Georgia. Against the Falcons, Pro Football Focus gave Washington a 76.5 pass block grade (as evidenced by that clip above) and a 65.3 run block grade. In Week 2 against the Denver Broncos, Washington had a 68.0 pass block grade and a 71.9 run block grade. But he also chipped in his first career receiving touchdown against the Broncos.
13 Personnel = Versatility For Steelers
And it’s the ability to throw and run out of the package that makes it so devastating. The Steelers can throw the ball or run the ball and still make positive plays happen. Washington can block extremely well or even be a receiving threat out of the package. That puts defenses in a bind, and that’s exactly what Tice thinks is going to hurt the Chargers so much on Sunday.
“That 13 personnel, now it’s kind of a joke like ha ha, they’re big, burly, and stuff,” Tice said. “But again, it’s a schematic advantage. Because, if you’re going against the Chargers, they’ll outsize you if you try to nickel, trot out five DBs. And if they go base, the Chargers are averaging allowing over five yards a play when they’re in base defense. So pick your poison… The Steelers are going to have the advantage on that side of the ball even if the pass game is a little dicey.”
The Chargers have to be aware that the Steelers could utilize Freiermuth and Washington as pass catchers whenever they’re on the field. They might be tempted to counter with extra defensive backs as Tice said, especially for covering Freiermuth. But then the Steelers can simply hand the ball off to Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren (or even use designed runs for QB Justin Fields). And if the Chargers drop into a base defense, that’ll allow Freiermuth and Washington to get matched up on linebackers and do damage through the air.
The problem facing the Steelers with 13 personnel on Sunday is that TE MyCole Pruitt has already been ruled out of Sunday’s game. On Washington’s touchdown, Pruitt and Washington were actually lined up to the same side of the formation to help put the defense in a bind. So does Smith run 13 personnel with Connor Heyward? Or does he drop into 12 personnel?
If Smith opts for running more 12 personnel, the Steelers aren’t foreign to that grouping either. They’ve used it on 26.5 percent of their offensive plays, just slightly less often than 13 personnel. The league average is 10.6 percent of plays. It has not been anywhere near as successful in terms of EPA, though. They average -0.18 EPA per play, 19th in the league. The league average is -0.06.
So how Smith and the offense respond to the absence of Pruitt could go a surprisingly long way to determining the outcome on Sunday. But regardless, the ability for the Steelers to be flexible with extra tight ends on the field makes them dangerous.
