This year, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense has been as good as they’ve been in recent years. However, that doesn’t mean they’re perfect. Especially in recent weeks, their flaws have been on full display. One of their biggest issues has been keeping offenses from scoring once they get in the red zone. It ended up almost costing them against the Baltimore Ravens and hurt them against the Cleveland Browns. Donte Jackson believes that might result from offenses not getting into the red zone very often against the Steelers.
“It is just coming down to communication, execution,” Jackson said Wednesday via Steelers Live on Twitter. “Guys don’t get down there on us often, so I guess that causes for us to just lack some of the details in that area of the field. You’re always looking to get better in this league, especially towards the end of the season.”
That isn’t a bad explanation for why the Steelers’ defense has struggled in that area. They’ve got playmakers all over the field, and they have the ninth-best total defense in the league, according to FOX Sports. Strangely, they’ve had issues in the red zone, especially because they were so good in that area to start the year. However, Jackson’s idea has some credence to it.
According to Pro Football Reference, teams score a touchdown in the red zone against the Steelers 51.5% of the time. That’s good for the 21st-best in the NFL. That isn’t horrible, but for how talented the Steelers’ defense is, it isn’t good enough. In that part of the field, they need to be better than they usually are, not worse.
It is true that the Steelers defense hasn’t seen a ton of action in the red zone. This year, they’ve faced 33 red zone attempts from opposing offenses. That comes in within the top 10 fewest attempts. In that group, they are tied for the fourth-worst red zone percentage. Therefore, Jackson might have a point that the Steelers’ defense doesn’t have enough experience in the red zone.
Jackson isn’t the only Steeler who believes that could be the source of their red zone woes. During that same media session, Cam Heyward expressed a similar thought, although he sees it as more positive.
“Once they’ve gotten down there, they’ve had a lot of success,” Heyward said via Steelers Live on Twitter. “We gotta clean that up. Can’t be seven always. Can’t be three. But I like the fact that they’re not getting down there often. It can’t be a pick your poison. It’s gotta be slim to none when they do get down there, and when they do get down there, it’s gotta be three.”
It is a double-edged sword. The Steelers are doing a great job keeping teams from marching down the field. However, if they do get put in that situation, they need to become more comfortable. As Heyward says, offenses can’t keep scoring touchdowns in the red zone against the Steelers.
Take one look at the game against the Browns for a good example. The Browns were three for four scoring touchdowns in the red zone. That includes the game-winning touchdown with less than a minute left. The Steelers will face several offenses that are more dangerous than the Browns.
At this point, the Steelers’ defense does have a decent sample size to work with when it comes to playing in the red zone. They had a small break after Week 12, and it sounds like they made it their mission to shore up when the field gets smaller. The Cincinnati Bengals’ high-octane offense will test them this week. It should be a good opportunity to prove they’ve outgrown their inexperience.
