Cheat Sheet: An overview of the Steelers 2024 defense

STEELERS DEFENSE

• The Steelers gave up 5.4 yards per play for the year. Only 11 defenses were better. Pittsburgh allowed 5.4 at home and 5.5 on the road.
• Pittsburgh's defense saw runs 39.9% of snaps. Only five defenses saw run less.
• The Steelers allowed 1.88 points per drive, seventh best. They allowed 30.7 yards per drive, 11^th best. And only six defenses were better than the .21 touchdowns per drive Pittsburgh allowed. Only the Seahawks, Dolphins and Browns forced more three-and-outs per drive.
• The Steelers allowed a set of down to convert into a new set of downs or a touchdown at a 69% rate, tied for seventh best.
• Opposing offenses attacked the Steelers out of 11 Personnel at a 62.5% clip. Only six defenses see a specific personnel grouping at a higher rate.
• Pittsburgh gave up 228.0 passing yards per game, eighth most.
• The Steelers gave up the seventh-most passing yards per game (244.2) to quarterbacks and allowed multiple passing touchdowns in five of their final six games. In their final seven games, the Steelers allowed 7.5 yards per attempt (25^th) and a 5.7% touchdown rate (25^th). Before that, they were at 6.9 yards per attempt (12^th) and a 2.7% touchdown rate (5^th).
• Pittsburgh allowed a league-high yards per game (124.1) and seventh most touchdowns (13) to receivers aligned out wide. The Steelers also permitted the eighth-most receiving yards (2,635) to wide receivers in general.
• The Steelers gave up the second-most catches (106) to opposing tight ends.
• The Steelers employed the highest percentage (68%) of single-high coverage in the league. When employing two-high coverage, Pittsburgh allowed 6.6 yards per drop back. Only the Patriots, Panthers and Colts were worse.
• 8.1% of pass attempts against the Steelers resulted in an explosive play. Only seven defenses were better. Pittsburgh's defense allowed just three touchdowns off explosive receptions. That tied the Jets for lowest in the league.
• Only five of the Steelers' 33 takeaways came over the past four games. Those 33 takeaways tied Minnesota for the league-lead. Only the Vikings and Texans had more than Pittsburgh's 17 interceptions and the Steelers and Buffalo tied for the league lead in fumble recoveries with 16. 2.9% of pass attempts against Pittsburgh resulted in an interception. Only the Vikings, Texans and Packers were better.
• The Steelers' 76 pass break ups was eighth-most and their 21 batted passes led the NFL.
• Pittsburgh's opponents used play-action at an 18.0% clip. Only five defenses saw a lower rate of play-action.
• Pittsburgh's opponents used motion on 42.1% of their drop backs. Only the Colts and Bengals saw a lower rate.
• 9.3% of the pass attempts against Pittsburgh were 20-plus air yards downfield. Only seven defenses saw a lower percentage of such pass attempts. The Steelers defense faced an average depth of target of 7.2 yards. Only eight defenses saw a lower depth of target.
• The Steelers allowed just 17 completions on passes of 20-plus air yards. Only the Titans and Packers had fewer. The Steelers only allowed two touchdowns on such passes, the lowest in the league.
• 2.7% of pass attempts against Pittsburgh were deemed "throw aways." Only the Chargers, Giants and Cardinals saw a lower rate.
• Against the Steelers defense, the ball came out of the quarterback's hands in 2.76 seconds. Only nine defenses faced a quicker time to throw.
• Pittsburgh blitzed at above rates on both first downs (32.1%) and second downs (29.7%), but just 16.9% on third downs, the third-lowest blitz rate on third downs by any team over the past two years.
• The Steelers average pressure occurred 2.32 seconds into the play. That was the eighth-quickest time to pressure.
• TJ Watt led the NFL in forced fumbles (6) and tied for the lead with three strip sacks. Watt is only player in history to average more than 1.0 sacks per divisional game among players with 40 or more games.
• Cameron Heyward became the first defensive tackle since 2017 to record 10-plus pass defenses and 10-plus tackles for loss in a single season.
• Pittsburgh's 98.7 rushing yards allowed per game was sixth-best and their 4.1 per carry tied for fourth-best.
• Pittsburgh allowed just 43 runs of 10-plus yards, sixth-best. On such runs, the Steelers surrendered two touchdowns. Three defenses allowed one and no defenses surrendered zero.
• The Steelers' 1.17 average rushing yards allowed before first contact was eighth-best.
• 51.2% of the rushing attempts the Steelers faced were between the tackles. That was fourth-highest.
• Pittsburgh's opponents ran into what was deemed a "stacked box" on 23.5% of their rushing attempts, eighth-highest.
• With Heyward on the field, Pittsburgh faced 303 rush attempts, allowing just 3.7 yards per carry. That would be second best in the league. On the 109 carries without Heyward on the field, the Steelers allowed 5.1 yards per carry, which would be 31^st.
• With Watt lining up on the defensive left edge of the defense on 94.7% of his snaps, opponents ran to the offensive left on 58.6% of their rush attempts against Pittsburgh, the highest rate in the NFL. On runs to the offense's right, Pittsburgh gave up just 3.2 yards per carry - best in the league.
• The Steelers allowed opposing quarterbacks to get past the line of scrimmage on scrambles just 14 times this season, fewest in the NFL. Pittsburgh allowed 63 yards and a touchdown on such runs for a league-low 4.5 yards per scramble. Just 2.2% of drop backs against Pittsburgh resulted in a scramble, the lowest percentage in the league. The Steelers were the only defense below 3.0%.
• Pittsburgh's red zone defense was at 54.1%, 13^th best.
• The Steelers 57.4% completion percentage allowed in the red zone was better than every defense other than New Orleans.
• Pittsburgh's defense (35.3%) was second best on third downs behind only the Lions.
• In the first halves of games, the Steelers defense allowed an average of 12.1 points, tied for 19^th. In the second half, Pittsburgh gave up just 8.8 points. Only the Buccaneers, Broncos and Bears were better.
• Final snap counts: Defensive Line: Heyward 838, Benton 671, Ogunjobi 550, Loudermilk 255, Adams 207, Lowrey 159. Outside Linebacker: Watt 1,002, Highsmith 592, Herbig 433, Smith 161. Linebacker: Queen 1,164, Roberts 525, Wilson 520. Safety: Fitzpatrick 1,158, Elliott 895, Kazee 313, Edmunds 63. Cornerback: Porter 1,038, Jackson 832, Bishop 550, Sutton 273, Pierre 207, Trice 194.