Tim Benz: Steelers, Bills do it differently on defense, but see same stellar results
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When I look at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game against the Buffalo Bills, I keep seeing the numbers “10” and “9” flashing in my head.
As in the final score.
I just wish I had a clearer picture of which team’s logo was next to the bigger number.
Then I pause and say to myself, “C’mon! Nineteen points? That’s way too many!”
My inherent hyperbole aside, odds are these defenses will rule the night at Heinz Field on Sunday. Not only are both defenses excellent, but both offenses are pretty bad. The Steelers are 23rd in points per game at 19.9. Buffalo is 20th at 21.1. Of all the 12 teams currently in a playoff spot, they are the two lowest-scoring clubs in the pack.
The Bills are also 20th in yards per game at 341.9. The Steelers are 28th at 290.1.
Does either offense have a shot? Or is this going to be a case of whatever defense gets the first safety wins?
“I don’t know,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said with a laugh on Wednesday. “Each game is different. You guys know that.”
Actually, Coach, that’s not the case for the Steelers. Most of their results have followed the same predictable pattern.
For the past eight games, you can almost always bank on the Pittsburgh defense holding the opponent to 21 points or less. They’ll usually score somewhere between 16-25 points (some of those via defense and special teams). The defense will sack the quarterback a bunch and take the ball away two or three times.
And they almost always win.
That’s pretty much been the formula as the Steelers have gone on a run of seven wins in eight outings. And it’s similar to what we’ve seen in Buffalo, too.
The Bills have had a bit more variability. They’ve topped 30 points twice in wins against Miami. They allowed 24 and 31 points in defeats against the Ravens and Eagles, respectively.
But the pattern of both teams has been the same. Let the defense get the opponent off the field. Do your best with the field position. And don’t screw up too much.
Or, as Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin may say, “Just don’t kill us.”
That leads to the questions of where these two defenses are similar and which one is better suited to win a game like this one.
The Steelers defense is predicated on two major attributes — rushing the passer and creating takeaways. The Steelers’ 33 takeaways and 48 sacks lead the NFL in both categories.
The Bills are ninth in sacks with 38 and 17th with 16 takeaways.
However, the Bills are third in total defense and passing defense (the Steelers are fifth in both) and second in points per game (the Steelers are sixth).
“They have a very good defensive front,” guard Ramon Foster said. “The outside rush guys are good, and their interior is, too. They are disruptive. They get situational plays. Third downs. Whenever they get opportunities for turnovers, they get them. Balls don’t hit the ground.”
Foster is certainly right about third downs. The Bills allow opponents to convert at just a 34.5 percent clip, sixth best in football.
Generally speaking, the Bills offense takes care of the ball better than they protect the passer. They’ve only yielded 14 turnovers. Only six teams have fewer. They’ve allowed 38 sacks, though — only eight teams have allowed more.
Often times, sacks and especially turnovers can be fickle. But before the Indianapolis Colts came to Heinz Field, they had one of the lowest turnover totals in the NFL, and the Steelers took the ball away three times. Similarly, last week in Arizona, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray had only six interceptions coming into the game, and the Steelers picked him off three times.
Regardless of opponent, the randomness of turnovers has become a constant for Tomlin’s defense.
“They do it their way, we do it our way,” Tomlin said Tuesday. “They get production from a lot of places. Their sack total is impressive. The way it is spread around the vast number of people is really challenging. They pressure a lot. They bring safeties, nickels, they challenge you and keep you off-balance that way.”
Based on all those numbers above, it would be an oversimplification to say the Steelers just do it with splash, and the Bills just do it with consistency. But if that’s your interpretation, McDermott doesn’t seem to mind.
“The hallmark of our defense is that we play good team defense,” McDermott said. “The guys take a lot of pride in doing their part, their one-eleventh. There is great accountability. Good levels of discipline. And taking pride in doing their job.”
Now that I’ve talked myself through all this, that vision I had is becoming more clear. It is Buffalo’s logo next to the number 10 after all.
But now I’m also seeing a T.J. Watt strip sack and a Devin Bush return of a fumble in the fourth quarter to give the Steelers 17.
And a huge leg up in the wild-card race.