The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in what was an abysmal performance on both sides of the ball. However, there was one small bright spot. After another great special teams performance, the Steelers officially supplanted the Detroit Lions as the No. 1-ranked special teams unit according to DVOA, per Aaron Schatz.
DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) is an analytical metric that breaks down every single play from all 32 teams and weighs their performance against the league average, factoring in things like weather, home-field advantage, and injuries.
The obvious reason behind the Steelers’ remarkable special teams success is Chris Boswell’s record-breaking season. The Steelers kicker has been near perfect this season. He’s made a league-high 38 field goals through 15 games, and he’s now just six shy of the NFL record for most field goals in a season (David Akers with 44 in 2011). He hasn’t missed an extra point this season, and of his three field goal misses, two were from at least 58 yards and one was blocked.
Unironically, Boswell has a case to be the team’s MVP this year because several key wins have been decided by a field goal or two.
Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Smith stole the spotlight earlier in the season with his fiery sideline antics and his hilarious gum-chewing. He’s done a solid job as the Steelers’ special teams coordinator since 2013, but this season has been special.
The Steelers have blocked two field goals, one punt, and returned a punt for a touchdown. Smith has done an incredible job of scheming up designs to give players a lane to get in the way of kicks. And just like head coach Mike Tomlin, Danny Smith knows how to fire up his players and get them to buy into their role. The Steelers are all in on winning the special teams battle each and every week, and it can go a long way in separating good teams from the rest of the pack.
Overtaking the Lions for first place in special teams DVOA is no small feat. The Lions had one of the greatest special teams performances of all time earlier in the season against the Titans, racking up 262 return yards, including a 90-yard punt return touchdown and a 72-yard kick return.
Something else worth noting: The Baltimore Ravens are now first in the NFL in overall DVOA, ranking first on offense, 13th on defense, and 22nd in special teams (yikes Justin Tucker). According to Aaron Schatz, the Ravens have the highest DVOA ever for a team with a 9-5 record, basically indicating they’re better than their record shows.
Whether you buy into advanced metrics like DVOA or not, it’s clear the Steelers have been cooking on special teams like never before. That will matter more than ever as they face tough teams down the stretch, where one or two special teams plays could be the difference in winning the AFC North title or their first playoff game since 2016.
