The Pittsburgh Steelers have only turned the ball over 11 times this year, among the fewest in the league. Even with a pick-six, they have also only allowed 10 points off of turnovers, which is pretty remarkable. But it’s also not an accident, according to DC Teryl Austin.
“Yeah, I think it’s really just a mindset”, Austin said of the Steelers’ success keeping points off the board following turnovers. “Every time we step on the field, turnover or not, we don’t want them to score. There’s always a heightened sense of urgency when there is a sudden change. I think our guys have handled that really well”.
It helps the defense to have an offense that protects the football well. While the Steelers rank just outside the top 10 in avoiding giveaways, they rarely lose the turnover margin. Somehow, they’ve managed to lose twice with a plus-two turnover differential, but that’s another matter. You would certainly still take your chances in that scenario.
They lost one of those two games with a plus-two turnover differential, featuring points off of turnovers allowed. A few weeks back, the Browns managed a field goal off of one takeaway, even if the Steelers came back to lead before blowing the game. A week later, the Bengals recorded a pick-six early in the game, even if it was highly questionable.
Conversely, the Steelers have done a pretty good job of turning their league-leading 28 takeaways into points. Last week, they scored a touchdown off an interception, for example, set up in field goal range. A week earlier, they managed a field goal and, the week before, a touchdown. But they could do better. They could do better, as they have done better on the defensive side.
“I remember a couple years ago we weren’t so good at that”, Austin recalled of the Steelers previously having issues allowing points off of turnovers. “We didn’t take the field with the idea we were going to get them. I think this time, our guys don’t care. They put that ball down anywhere, we’re going to stop them. That’s a really good feeling when you send guys out like that”.
Broadly, the Steelers rank in the top 10 in points and yards allowed. As acknowledged, they rank first in takeaways, but their ability to keep points off the board when teams find the ball is just as important.
The Steelers have also managed to find the ball themselves at opportune moments, even when scoring isn’t preferred. Again, last week, on their final takeaway, they set up in Victory Formation in the red zone. They could have gotten points there, but they didn’t need to.
