One week after missing 14 tackles in the preseason opener on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Pittsburgh Steelers cleaned things up in the tackling department, turning in a strong performance in their lone home game of the preseason.
Though the Steelers lost 17-14 on a last-second field goal, the defense looked good throughout the night, tackling well in space, and putting the clamps on the Buccaneers’ offense.
Next up, the preseason finale on the road against the Carolina Panthers, where a number of players will continue to compete for a roster spot — either on the 53-man roster or the practice squad — with a chance to make one final impression.
Let’s dive into the missed tackles report for Steelers-Buccaneers.
TOTAL MISSED TACKLES VS. BUCCANEERS — 8
Nick Herbig — 1 (missed sack)
Derrick Harmon – 1
Brandin Echols – 1
D’Shawn Jamison – 1
Carson Bruener – 1 (special teams)
Mark Robinson – 1 (special teams)
Malik Harrison – 1 (special teams)
Lew Nichols – 1 (special teams)
TOTAL MISSED TACKLES THROUGH TWO WEEKS (TWO GAMES) — 22 (11.0 PER GAME)
Beanie Bishop Jr. – 2
Quindell Johnson – 2
Kyler McMichael – 2
Mark Robinson – 2 (one on special teams)
Nick Herbig — 1 (missed sack)
James Pierre – 1
Jack Sawyer – 1 (one on special Teams)
Yahya Black – 1
Devin Harper – 1
Isaiahh Loudermilk – 1
Eku Leota – 1 (one on special Teams)
Ke’Shawn Williams – 1 (one on special Teams)
Derrick Harmon – 1
Brandin Echols – 1
D’Shawn Jamison – 1
Carson Bruener – 1 (one on special teams)
Lew Nichols – 1 (one on special teams)
Malik Harrison – 1 (one on special teams)
After being rather sloppy last week in Jacksonville, the Steelers did a much better job this week of getting guys on the ground quickly and efficiently. Pittsburgh cut its missed tackles nearly in half, which is a great sign.
What is concerning is the four missed tackles on special teams under Danny Smith. A lot of young players are working in that phase of the game right now trying to make the roster, but in addition to the missed tackles there were other special teams miscues, like a roughing-the-kicker penalty that led to a Buccaneers touchdown.
One week after having a standout performance, rookie seventh-round linebacker Carson Bruener was quiet against the Buccaneers. He had a big missed tackle on Tampa Bay rookie Tez Johnson’s 37-yard punt return.
Bruener does a nice job of getting down the field and getting into position, but he gets caught flat-footed, allowing Johnson to bounce outside and into open space. Bruener has to be a bit more aggressive here and go for the tackle in space like this. That’s a play he can make.
Cole Holcomb didn’t miss the tackle here because he turned Johnson back inside to cleanup help like Bruener and Malik Harrison, though it’s not great to see Johnson easily step around him. This was also the play in which long snapper Christian Kuntz got hurt.
Later in the game, running back Lew Nichols missed a tackle in kick coverage. Though he had a great night running the football, missing a tackle on special teams won’t help his cause.
Nichols is there, gets his hands on the returner and is in great position to make the play. He just needs to finish. Of course, he does get contacted as he’s going for the tackle, but he has to find a way to finish this play in his push for a roster spot.
Rookie first-round pick Derrick Harmon had a strong game against the Buccaneers, recording his first sack and showing his impressive power to bull through Tampa Bay left guard Ben Scott and sack Kyle Trask. But later in the game he missed his first tackle of the preseason.
Harmon plays with great positioning and eyes here, peeking inside to find the football while staying square to the line of scrimmage. He gets off the block at the right time to contact the running back in the hole, but he’s not able to utilize his big paws to finish the play.
The Tampa Bay running back is able to step through the arm tackle attempt, leading to a nice gain. Still, it’s a solid rep from Harmon leading up to the tackle attempt. That’s encouraging.
Finally, late in the first half veteran cornerback Brandin Echols recorded his missed tackle.
He does a nice job covering a lot of ground to close on the short throw to Tez Johnson. But he fails to break down in space and play off fellow defensive back Miles Killebrew, tackling Johnson for what should have been a short gain.
Instead, Echols comes flying in, doesn’t break down and Johnson slams on the breaks and steps around Echols, causing him to slide and fall. Johnson picked up a first down and give the Buccaneers some life late in the half.
In addition to doing a nice job overall tackling, the Steelers forced quite a few missed tackles by the Buccaneers. Pittsburgh forced 13 missed tackles, winning the all-important tackling battle of the game within the game by a mark of +5, improving to 1-1 in the preseason.
TOTAL FORCED MISSED TACKLES VS. BUCCANEERS — 13
Kaleb Johnson – 7 (two on special teams)
Lew Nichols – 2
Evan Hull – 1
Roc Taylor – 1
Kenneth Gainwell – 1
Ke’Shawn Williams – 1 (special teams)
TOTAL FORCED MISSED TACKLES THROUGH TWO WEEKS (TWO GAMES) — 24 (12.0 PER GAME)
Kaleb Johnson – 9 (two on special teams)
Lew Nichols – 6
Ke’Shawn Williams – 4 (two on special teams)
Evan Hull – 2
Trey Sermon – 1
Roc Taylor — 1
Kenneth Gainwell — 1
Last week, there was a lot of concern after rookie running back Kaleb Johnson’s preseason debut. This week? Not so much.
Johnson looked much more like himself, played with confidence and had a great feel for what the defense was giving him. He looked strong in the zone rushing attack, too, showing his vision and his feel.
This 9-yard run in the third quarter was proof of that.
Last week, Johnson wasn’t able to bounce outside and turn the corner. This week, he was able to do it, playing fast and physical, trusting his eyes and his instincts.
Great job of stepping through the first tackle attempt here and getting to the corner. Johnson turns on the jets and turns what should have been no gain into a 9-yard gain. It will go overlooked in the stats sheet, but it was a big-time run from the third-round pick and a sign of real growth from one week to the next.
Lew Nichols continues to raise eyebrows and generate intrigue.
On this 37-yard run in the fourth quarter, Nichols showed his speed and contact balance.
Heck of a job initially of bouncing this run outside after things get clogged up behind rookie left tackle Gareth Warren. Nichols is able to jump cut and not lose any speed, turning the corner.
Then, he is able to race upfield, step through two tackle attempts without losing his balance, and burst into the open field for the explosive run. It would have been great if he could have finished this one with a touchdown, but it was a really encouraging run from Nichols.
He is making a loud case for a depth RB roster spot.
