Film room on a narrow but important change to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game plan in their Sunday win over the Cincinnati Bengals. One that really shows how much smarter the team has gotten under OC Arthur Smith.
To summarize before going through the tape, the Steelers had previously shown a bad habit of running into the teeth of the Bengals’ run fronts.
As we’ve noted many times before including in our scouting report prior to Week 13’s game, Cincinnati likes to use a five-defensive lineman front on 1st and 10 to stop the run. In the past, Pittsburgh would willingly run into it, often for little yardage. It looks like this.
That changed Sunday. Cincinnati presented that five-down look six times. Pittsburgh threw the ball on five of those instances, its only run coming near the goal line. Of those five passes, Wilson completed all of them for 74 yards and four first downs.
Here’s all five of them. They weren’t all downfield passes but didn’t have to be. Screens, boots, and quick throws work well to substitute the running game for these high-percentage and efficient passes without running into a brick wall. And they were ultimately effective, gaining yardage and moving the sticks.
Context here is key. I chose two previous matchups against the Bengals, their first meeting against the Steelers in 2022 and 2023. Like Sunday’s game, I charted the number of passes and runs against this front. Here are the results.
Steelers’ Play Calls Vs. Five-Down Front
| Year | Runs | Passes |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 5 |
| 2023 | 6 | 5 |
| 2022 | 4 | 2 |
It’s one element to the game plan. It wasn’t the reason for Pittsburgh’s offensive success or Cincinnati’s defensive failures, but it speaks to a broader point. The Steelers can and will adapt their game plan to the opponent.
I’d also note that veteran quarterback Russell Wilson made checks at the line on at least two of those five throws. It’s impossible to know with complete confidence what he checked out of and checked into, but I assume he got out of some called runs and into throws. The perks of a veteran quarterback given the freedom to put the offense in optimal situations.
Still, combined with the multiple throws that appeared to be called and the other elements of this game, the screen and quick game to beat the blitz, it was a well-schemed, adjusted, and executed plan.
The Bengals’ defense lacks talent but is multiple in scheme. They throw a lot at you as an offense, partially because they have a good coordinator and partially because they’re trying to compensate for a lack of personnel by winning with scheme. Pittsburgh’s offense sifted through things well and made plays. This change in approach is refreshing and encouraging going forward.
