However, the run defense was again leaky on Pittsburgh’s game-winning drive. As mentioned, the Pats aggressively shot the inside gaps against the Steelers zone schemes to penetrate the backfield. But, on the final drive, the aggressive approach backfired. Above, edge rusher Harold Landry crosses inside the right tackle on a third-and-2 zone run. The issue was that nobody replaced Landry on the edge, so Warren made a smooth cut around Landry and hit the vacated edge to move the chains.
Although it’s third-and-short, a run-stuff there likely forces the Steelers into a field goal that would’ve made it a three-point game. Instead, Pittsburgh took another 1:44 off the clock before scoring the go-ahead touchdown. Obviously, the Pats final possession changes significantly if they only need a field goal to tie it rather than a touchdown.
It’s tough to put any of this game on the defense after holding the Steelers scoreless for two-plus quarters, while the offense turned it over five times. Still, the initial plan seemed geared toward stopping Rodgers and Pittsburgh’s passing game with the two-deep safeties despite the Steelers not showing much of a deep passing attack in the first two weeks, leading to an early 14-0 deficit.
Quick-Hit Film Notes From Pats-Steelers
– LT Will Campbell struggled vs. Steelers speed-rusher Nick Herbig, who is underrated and a bad matchup for Campbell. The Pats rookie left tackle allowed six total pressures, including two on inside moves. Herbig set the rookie up by using pure speed to threaten his outside edge in the first half, then pulled out an inside move on the goal line and later caused a late fourth-quarter sack. Campbell was better in the run game, where his frontside combos on outside zone created movement and made a key block on the 4th-and-1 conversion.
– RB Rhamondre Stevenson’s two fumbles are ultimately on him, but the second one was a late punch-out by DT Cameron Heyward as the second (or third) defender in. The first was LB Cole Holcomb putting his arm/hand on the ball on his tackle attempt, so that’s more on Stevenson – he has to hold onto the ball there. Stevenson also got tangled up in pass protection with C Garrett Bradbury on the missed crosser to DeMario Douglas late in the fourth quarter, causing a rusher at Maye’s feet, creating an off-target throw. After a great game in Miami, the ball security and details left Stevenson in a tough spot this week.
– WR DeMario Douglas is having one of the most bizarre starts to a season in recent memory. There are plays to be made on film, but Douglas is either not on the same page as the QB, gets a bad ball from Maye, or is showing poor awareness. Pop had a 17-yard gain wiped out by a penalty, a 14-yard gain reversed to an 8-yard gain, was open twice on crossers but couldn’t connect with Maye, was open on a swing route that Maye short-armed, but Pop also drifted away from his quarterback on the route, and then there was the game-ending fourth-down play. There’s something off about the Maye-to-Douglas connection that is preventing big plays from happening, and it’s costing the Patriots in key situations.
– TE Hunter Henry was terrific, with six of his eight receptions going for either touchdowns or first downs. He had two schemed-up touchdowns, a great route/design on his 18-yard wheel from the backfield, a 15-yard explosive crosser, a nice slant route for another 9-yard gain, and multiple QB-friendly spot routes. Henry also transitioned quickly into being a blocker on Maye’s 15-yard scramble to convert it into an explosive run – a good football player.
– RT Morgan Moses had 22 reps vs. Steelers star T.J. Watt, allowing a sack and a hurry due to playing with a short corner against Watt’s speed/dip/rip rushes. Moses also created good vertical movement on his double teams and has been moving bodies with TE Austin Hooper on duo. Overall, you’ll take Moses mostly keeping Watt in check on 47 drop-backs.
– C Garrett Bradbury ended up on the ground a few too many times for my liking, but his “whirly bird” block on Henry’s 15-yard crosser was the best block any Patriot has put on film this season. Heck, maybe in the last two seasons. Assigning pressures to Bradbury was tough because he got tripped up, and it was debatable whether he could’ve done anything to avoid the inadvertent contact. Still, it left rushers at Maye’s feet, which impacted the pass.
– LG Jared Wilson allowed three hurries in this game, but I had no major gripes with his film. Steelers DT Cam Heyward is a beast, and Wilson had 19 one-on-one reps against the seven-time Pro Bowler. Wilson has also improved significantly against stunt schemes, seeing the post-snap movement much more clearly, and had a great recovery to keep Maye clean on one stunt. The week-to-week improvement from Wilson has been good to see.
– RG Mike Onwenu allowed only one hurry in pass protection and generated some movement on his double teams. He also saved Bradbury on a blown block by looking for work vs. a schemed pressure. However, Onwenu also had blown blocks on both of Stevenson’s fumbles, including a goal-line block, which has been hit or miss for him this season. Plus, the illegal man downfield penalty was a costly error (wiped out a 17-yard completion).
– WR Stefon Diggs ran a nice 11-yard slant and moved the chains with a whip route on third down. Vrabel also highlighted him taking coaching on Stevenson’s 23-yard pick play, a play they ran last week in Miami, where Diggs missed the pick. WR Kayshon Boutte ran two good routes on an 8-yard out (ran off the corner) and a 20-yard dig where he made a tough catch in a high-traffic area. Overall, the Pats wideouts aren’t producing at a high level stats-wise, but these two are making plays when the ball comes their way (5-of-6, 51 yards, three first downs).
– WR Mack Hollins also tried to “banana” around a defender similar to Douglas’s fourth down play rather than splitting the two defenders as Vrabel explained. However, he made a key “crack” block on Maye’s 4th-and-1 boot scramble that saved the play, which is why he’s on the field, and was open on a deep crosser for a possible touchdown, but Maye stayed on his first read to Henry (18-yard wheel route).
– Rookie RB TreVeyon Henderson allowed one hurry in blitz pickup on a Patrick Queen interior twist off play-action, a tough NFL-caliber assignment for the rook. He did have a better rep in pass pro later in the game on a Maye scramble, which looked more like his college film. However, the game seems to be moving a bit fast for Henderson right now, who also needs to tempo his runs better and see cutback lanes developing more clearly. He’s running into crowds rather than trying to use his speed to find daylight – very common for a young back.
– QB Pressures: Campbell (6), Wilson (3), Moses (sack, hurry), Bradbury (2), Henderson (hurry), Onwenu (hurry).
– The Patriots made two notable personnel changes. First, CB Alex Austin was replaced by Charles Woods in the second quarter after Austin was called for two penalties, including a third-down hold that wiped out a Milton Williams sack. The other was LB Jack Gibbens replacing Christian Elliss in the second half after a pair of missed tackles by Elliss. Austin and Elliss are two projected contributors off to underwhelming starts.
– LB Robert Spillane had some better moments with an interception, three run stuffs, and zero missed tackles (technically). He also tackled Steelers RB Jaylen Warren on a swing route that only gained five yards, showing better technique to bring down a running back 1-on-1 in space. However, Spillane lost containment when Warren cut back into the middle of the field on a 15-yard dumpoff. That was a huge play on Pittsburgh’s game-winning drive that Rodgers highlighted in his post-game presser.
– CB Carlton Davis lined up across from Steelers WR DK Metcalf on 18 routes, allowing a 12-yard touchdown (go route) while he was also called for an iffy 18-yard DPI. Davis had good coverage on Metcalf for most of the afternoon, but like his teammate on the other side, the touchdown was a decisive win for Metcalf in a key spot.
– CB Marcus Jones lined up across from Steelers WR Calvin Austin on 11 routes. He was beaten on Austin’s game-winning touchdown (17-yard go route) and gave up an 8-yard slant as a drive-starter on Pittsburgh’s final possession. Austin’s average separation was only 1.1 yards on his two catches vs. Jones, but that was enough to make two critical plays.
– DT Milton Williams had a stunt sack negated by penalty, two run stuffs, and some good work splitting double teams. However, Williams missed a possible run TFL in the backfield on a third-and-1. Overall, Williams has a playmaking gear that is fun to watch. He’s a game-wrecker who is starting to get extra attention with a team-high 10 double-teams on Sunday.
– NT Khyiris Tonga played more after PIT ran the ball well on their opening drive, and his uptick in playing time should continue. Tonga caused two run stuffs with his penetration, had a bull rush pressure, and drew a hold by getting Steelers C Zach Frazier on skates by pressing his block. Tonga has excellent playing strength and impressive get-off for a 335-pound DT. If his motor can hold up, I’d like to see him play more.
– EDGE Harold Landry diagnosed a Rodgers check-down for a tackle for loss in coverage, logged a pressure with a spin move, forced an off-target throw with a speed/dip pressure on third down, and showed great hustle to clean up a slide route to TE Jonnu Smith, forcing a fumble. Overall, the arrow is pointing upward on Landry. He makes a handful of plays every week.
– EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson jumped offside and was called for a hold for grabbing a blocker on an inside zone run. That said, he also made disruptive plays by backdooring an outside zone run for a TFL, using a rip move to pressure Rodgers on his interception and using a speed-to-power rush for a second pressure. Chaisson needs to get the penalties under control, though, as that’s four flags in the last two games.
– DT Christian Barmore logged a pressure on an interior twist that led to a third-down stop and ran an effective run stunt with Chaisson for a stuff. However, he saw fewer double-teams in the pass rush (three) and was getting moved on double teams in the run game during the Patriots slow start, leading to more snaps for Tonga next to Williams. There’s another level for Barmore. He just has to reach it once he gets back into the flow.
– LB Jack Gibbens was on the scene for three positive runs on PIT’s game-winning drive. Gibbens was shooting gaps on run blitzes, inviting cutbacks or vacating gaps altogether, and was the nearest defender on a 10-yard screen to RB Kenneth Gainwell. I won’t pretend to know their assignments on more exotic run fits, but it didn’t look right to me.
– Pats safeties Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson weren’t tested much in deep coverage, with Rodgers attacking single-high safety structures on the two go route TDs. The Pats safety duo each had some good reps as robber help in cover-one schemes, but there wasn’t much action going their way on Sunday.
– S Kyle Dugger has found a role as a big nickel defender in the Patriots three-safety packages. Dugger had a nice run stuff setting the edge and got leverage on a slide route by TE Jonnu Smith that allowed for a Landry stop/forced fumble. Dugger was solid in his 17 snaps.
– LB Marte Mapu had two man-coverage reps vs. Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth, and had solid coverage on both plays, including a third-down incompletion where Mapu was in good position. Mapu could’ve squeezed a 21-yard skinny post to Jonnu Smith a bit better, but it appeared to be quarters coverage with Hawkins in the seam.
– DT Joshua Farmer backdoored a zone-lead scheme for a run TFL and had some good reps against double teams. The rookie might be earning more playing time.
– CB Charles Woods only played eight coverage snaps after replacing Austin. Woods gave up a nine-yard completion and missed a tackle in his limited reps.
– QB Pressures: Chaisson (2), Landry (2), Tonga (1), Barmore (1). Run stops: Spillane (3), Williams (2), one each (Farmer, Dugger, Elliss, Chaisson, Gibbens).
Coverage: Davis (5/3/32 yards/TD/DPI), Spillane (5/4/30 yards/INT), Jones (2/2/25 yards/TD), Hawkins (1/1/21 yards), Gibbens (1/1/10 yards), Woods (2/1/9 yards), Woodson (3/2/8 yards), Dugger (2/2/4 yards), Austin (DPI/hold).
Source link
