A weekly feature with Steelers Contributing Writer/Editor Brian Batko's thoughts, analysis and commentary on the Steelers. Four downs' worth of insight, and always going for it: no punting allowed.
First down: Inside the circle. Whether it's the coin toss or a pregame speech or a postgame breakdown, the Steelers are spreading the leadership responsibilities under first-year head coach Mike McCarthy.
With different team captains each week, McCarthy isn't just picking names out of a hat. He's developing a roster, cultivating a team and strengthening culture with something as simple as picking three players each game to represent the offense, defense and special teams.
"It's nice to hear from different people," said defensive lineman Keeanu Benton, a captain against the Browns last week. "I'm not a young guy anymore. I was grateful to have been chosen as a captain."
Naturally, Aaron Rodgers and Cam Heyward were delegates for the season opener, joined by Carson Bruener. Since then, though, McCarthy and his staff have carefully selected players for various reasons.
Sometimes it's a hometown pick, such as New England native Pat Freiermuth back in the Boston area when the Steelers visited the Patriots. Other times it's been a player who might have a particularly notable challenge in that week's game the way Zach Frazier would be matched up with Dexter Lawrence against Cincinnati. Then there's the classic case of a player facing his former team; look no further than Jamel Dean at Tampa Bay or even Brock Hoffman this past week against Cleveland.
"Yeah, 100%, it definitely was — not personal for me, but it was a little bit," said Hoffman, who started his NFL career on the Browns practice squad before being released midway through his rookie year. "Just being there … it was definitely huge to be a captain for this game and get the win."
Almost always, Steelers captains have responded. In Week 3, Frazier went toe to toe with the Bengals' front and special teams demon Ben Skowronek recovered a muffed punt by Cincinnati on top of a 23-yard touchdown catch from Rodgers. Two games later, Payton Wilson led the team in tackles and tackles for loss while fellow captain Yahya Black had a TFL too plus a stuff for no gain as the Steelers contained Colts star Jonathan Taylor. Dean had a crucial interception against his old team the following week. Patrick Queen had a team-high 10 tackles and the game-sealing sack when he served as captain against his home-state Saints in Paris.
Call it a chicken-or-egg thing. Maybe having that role for a given week adds a bit of extra juice and adrenaline that helps with performance. Or perhaps the coaches just have the right feel for who's going to show out that game. Whatever it is, it's a process that McCarthy appreciates for how it can contribute to building bonds within a locker room.
"I think it was just me going out, playing ball, having fun and trying to be accountable for my teammates," Queen said of his turn as captain. "At the end of the day, it is an honor to be able to be a leader of that game. It was just a fun all-around experience, seeing my name on the board the day they announced it. It was cool."
Second down: More meat on the bone. One weakness for the Steelers amid this four-game win streak has been finishing drives in the red zone. They've scored a touchdown 50% of the time, tied for 26th in the NFL.
The Steelers also are tied for 29th in the league in touchdown percentage in goal-to-go situations. When you're snake-bitten to that degree, there's no one point of emphasis to evaluate.
"Probably all of it," Angelichio said. "Do we have the right plays down there? Are we putting our players in the best position to be successful? Are we missing out on some [opportunities] in the run game? I think that all goes into it."
Just a year ago, wideout DK Metcalf — one of the most physically imposing players at his position in the league — was a touchdown-maker for this offense. He scored seven times last season, finding the end zone four times inside the red zone, including one rushing touchdown.
"We have a ton of confidence in DK … we've seen him do it, and he will do it," Angelichio said. "It's just that some games the ball finds you, some games it doesn't. You see the catch he made in New Orleans, which was a huge play for us over in France. But we have not lost confidence in him at all."
Third down: If you bend, don't break. On the flip side, the Steelers defense is at its best when the field shrinks. Football is a complementary game, and the Steelers are forcing opposing offenses to stall more often than their own.
At 37.5%, the Steelers are first in the AFC and second in the NFL in red-zone defense. Same goes for them at 54.6% in goal-to-go scenarios. Part of that is that they're also top 10 in third-down defense at 34.3%, good for ninth in the NFL. The reason is part-schematic, part-execution and part-resilience.
"Big plays are going to happen in the game. Coach talks about it, there's [approximately] 36 big plays that happen on average in the NFL football game," said defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. "Big plays happen."
One of those against the Browns was a 37-yard completion down to the Steelers 2. But a goal-line stand forced a turnover on downs and kept the score 27-6 early in the fourth quarter.
The way Graham saw it from his spot on the sideline? "We didn't panic."
"When you're trying to gauge the mental toughness of your defense, something messed up happened if you're in the red area," Graham said. "Can you get a stop? That's where I'm gauging mental toughness. To me, all those red-area stops, that's what I'm talking about."
Fourth down: Heads-up play. Within an avalanche of huge plays that allowed the Steelers to beat the Browns, one that largely flew under the radar deserves a nod of appreciation.
That would be left tackle Troy Fautanu's fumble recovery midway through the second quarter when the Steelers were driving. Rico Dowdle had just ripped off a 14-yard run lost control at the end. After blocking his defender to the sideline, rather than give up on the play, Fautanu had the wherewithal to turn around and dive on the loose ball in a crowd of three white jerseys.
Had the Browns recovered, they would've thwarted a red-zone trip by the Steelers and taken the ball back trailing 10-3, with a chance to tie it up. Instead, the Steelers got a field goal on the possession. It was actually Fautanu's second fumble recovery of the season, and he's one of only three linemen with more than one. Hustle pays off in the long run, particularly for a big man who stays engaged with the play and knows where the ball is.
