There’s nothing prettier when a plan comes together. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ rush busted out for a five-sack performance in Sunday’s win over the New England Patriots, a group that created repeated big plays to keep the score down and win the game.
It’s harder than it looks. Rushing with the front four and accomplishing all the goals a pass rush must check asks a lot. Pressure the quarterback. Stay in your lane. Don’t let the quarterback escape. Pittsburgh walked that line beautifully.
First example. Cam Heyward’s sack. A four-man rush from Pittsburgh’s base 3-4. Here are the rush lane assignments.
– T.J. Watt: drops into zone coverage
– Yahya Black: 3-tech between RG and RT, loops wide as contain player
– Keeanu Benton: 1-tech between LG and C, loops into frontside A-gap
– Cam Heyward: 4i-tech inside shade of the LT, shoots B-gap
– Nick Herbig: Contain/outside rush
Defensive tackle Yahya Black, the 3-tech between right guard and right tackle, loops wide to be the contain player. He replaces Watt’s role. Nose tackle Keeanu Benton, aligned.
The rush does its job and does the two key things needed to keep the quarterback in the pocket: contain and constrict. The outside rushers prevent Maye from leaving the pocket wide, and the interior rush pushes the middle of the pocket into Maye’s lap.
Everyone does a great job. Benton doesn’t leave his gap, and Maye can’t run free up the gut. Black is able to contain the edge. Heyward uses his bull to push the pocket, shed the left guard, and bring Maye down. The sack went for 0-yards but it’s a great outcome.
Later in the game. Four-man rush from the team’s 2-4-5 nickel on Derrick Harmon’s first sack. Again, the assignments:
– T.J. Watt: Contain/outside rush
– Derrick Harmon: Slant into A-gap
– Cam Heyward: Loop/contain to RB’s side
– Nick Herbig: Loop/crash into B-gap
Again, everyone does their jobs. Heyward loops over and gets free as the Patriots struggle to communicate and pass off the stunt. Maye is forced to scramble but has no outlet. Herbig and Harmon clog the middle, and Harmon splits his block to pick up the sack. If he hadn’t, Heyward was getting his second. Contain. Constrict. Finish.
Last example. Pittsburgh is again working from its base 3-4. The assignments:
– T.J. Watt: Drop/spy
– Yahya Black: Between RG and RT, contain, replace Watt’s role
– Daniel Ekuale: Tilted between LG and C, loop into backside A-gap
– Cam Heyward: 5-tech outside of LT, slant into playside B-gap
– Nick Herbig: Contain/outside rush
Here it is in action. The rush here is excellent. Maye tries to run left, but Herbig forces him back inside. The interior rush gets pressure. Watt is keying and mirroring Maye’s movement. Maye avoids Heyward and tries to run up the middle. But the rush constricts and converges. A sandwich at the quarterback. Herbig forces the fumble, and Watt recovers.
Just as an offensive line must work as a unit to succeed, so does a pass rush. It’s not an “every man’s for himself” mentality. It’s coordinated, and everyone must do their job. Pittsburgh did it here. It’s hard to contain and pressure with just four men. With a five-man protection, the quarterback has up to six escape lanes. The math doesn’t work in the defense’s favor, but Pittsburgh did it beautifully here, and it resulted in three sacks.
