While the Steelers moved the ball pretty well in Week 1, Calvin Austin III and company had a tougher time against the Seahawks. Speaking to Gerry Dulac on 102.5 WDVE yesterday, the fourth-year receiver tried to explain why. The Jets, for one thing, played more aggressive, which allowed them to take more shots.
“I would say they played a little more two-high [safeties] than the Jets, for sure”, Austin said of the Seahawks. “They were trying to not let us have any chunk, explosion plays, wanting to keep everything in front of them and just come up and make a tackle”.
Interestingly, Aaron Rodgers had a higher average depth of target against the Seahawks than against the Jets. When you factor in his touchdown “pass” to Jonnu Smith in Week 1, though, that helps explain things. He only attempted six passes of 15 or more yards down the field, yet that was double Week 1.
But it’s also how the Seahawks played the Steelers’ short passes, as they had more opportunities to create yards after the catch against the Jets. DK Metcalf, for example, set a career high for YAC in a game in Week 1. Against the Seahawks, Jaylen Warren had a huge YAC reception, but that had nothing to do with the coverage scheme.
“Each team is its own new challenge, and they’re a talented team”, Austin said of the Steelers’ loss to the Seahawks. “It’s just one of those where I feel like, still, we kind of beat ourselves when you look at it. When we went in and looked at it as a team, it was just some things from players such as myself and other players that [were] uncharacteristic and things you wouldn’t see”.
Austin, of course, was responsible for Aaron Rodgers’ red-zone interception against the Seahawks, the Steelers potentially otherwise scoring. Then there was Kaleb Johnson’s massive kick-return blunder, which directly cost the Steelers seven points. “You want to learn from it, but kind of just flush it and move on to the next one”, Austin said.
Many saw the Seahawks game as an easy win, which the Steelers would need with a tough schedule later on. Those two plays right there were a potential 14-point swing, so the game could have looked very different if not for these completely unforced errors.
Still, the Seahawks did what they needed to do against the Steelers to get the win. That includes capitalizing on your opponents’ mistakes, which Pittsburgh also managed. The Steelers scored 11 points off two turnovers, though naturally you’d like at least 14. Regardless of what coverage their next opponent is in the front needs to handle the pass rush better.
