Green Bay Packers: 7 Stats to Know about the Steelers
By Paul Bretl
We now turn our focus away from the Green Bay Packers Week 3 win and towards their Week 4 opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are 1-2 on the season.
To begin our preview and to help get an idea of who this Steelers team is, we will be taking a look at some key stats from their first three games.
3.2 yards per rush
The Pittsburgh Steelers spent a first-round draft pick on running back Najee Harris, but behind that offensive line, he and the other running backs have found little success. Through three weeks, Harris is yet to eclipse 50 rushing yards in a game, while as a team, the Steelers are averaging just 3.2 yards per carry, which ranks 32nd this season.
The Green Bay Packers’ interior defensive line is coming off a solid performance against San Francisco, where they held the Niners to only 3.2 yards per rush. Kenny Clark was a one-man wrecking crew while Dean Lowry and Tyler Lancaster had some of the better performances that we’ve seen from them in some time.
The Packers defensive front will have the opportunity to build off of this strong showing against the Steelers.
16.7 points per game
Behind a shaky offensive line, a struggling run game, and Ben Roethlisberger, who at 39 years old is trending downwards, this Pittsburgh offense has had their share of issues putting points on the board so far this season.
After three games, the Steelers offense is averaging 16.7 points per game, ranking 28th in this category.
Although there is still improvements to be made, the Green Bay Packers defense has been heading in the right direction since Week 1, and like the interior defensive line, the entire unit will have the opportunity to build off their performance in San Francisco.
79.0 passer rating
Speaking of Big Ben, his passer rating of 79.0 is the sixth-worst in football this season, behind only the three rookie quarterbacks, Tua Tagovailoa, and Jacoby Brissett.
He is completing nearly 64 percent of his passes but only at 6.2 yards per attempt. He also has three touchdowns and three interceptions. The lack of a run game and the offensive line play hasn’t helped, but this isn’t the same Roethlisberger from years past.
19 receptions for Harris in Week 3
The Steelers are utilizing the quick passing game to get the ball out of Roethlisberger’s hands, and last week, that meant plenty of opportunities for running back Najee Harris in the passing game. After eight total targets over the first two games, Harris would catch 14 of his 19 targets for 102 yards.
The Packers defense should be prepared for another heavy dose of Harris as a pass-catcher.
23 penalties
This Pittsburgh Steelers defense has been called for 23 penalties so far this season, which is tied for the fourth-most in football. Their 210 penalty yards is the sixth most.
Over the years, we’ve all seen on numerous occasions what an extended drive or a free play can mean for Aaron Rodgers and this Green Bay Packers offense. The Steelers defense will have to play a clean game against this offense that has beginning to hit their stride.
TJ Watt
No, this is not a stat, but I had to mention him. This is a completely different Pittsburgh defense when Watt is on the field. Watt left the Steelers Week 2 matchup against Las Vegas early with a groin injury and would miss last Sunday’s game against Cincinnati.
However, although he has just over one full game of playing time this season, Watt has still tallied eight pressures, three sacks, and two forced fumbles, according to PFF ($$). He was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice, and his status for this week’s game against the Packers will have major implications either way.
88.3 rush yards per game allowed
Establishing and sticking to the run has been key to the Green Bay Packers offensive success over the last two weeks.
We’ve seen how quickly things can go south when they become one-dimensional—even with Rodgers at quarterback.
With a young offensive line — that, to their credit, has held up well — Green Bay will be up against a Steelers defense that is allowing 88.3 rushing yards per game, the 10th fewest in football.
If these last two weeks have taught us anything about the run game, it’s that teams don’t have to have gaudy numbers on the ground for it to be successful. The Packers averaged 3.9 yards per carry against Detroit and 4.0 against the 49ers—the key is that the defense respects it, and just like every week, that’ll be an important aspect to winning this game.
Red zone, third downs, and turnovers
As always, we have to conclude with three of the more important stats for any team—red zone success, third down efficiency, and turnovers.
The Pittsburgh offense has found the end zone on just 42.8 percent of their red zone trips, which ranks 26th. The defense, however, has been one of the better units in the red zone, allowing a touchdown on just 44.4 percent of their opponent’s visits.
On third downs, the Steelers offense has concerted 41.8 percent of their attempts, ranking 15th, while the defense ranks 17th, allowing the opponent to convert on third downs 40 percent of the time.
Lastly is the turnover over battle, where the Steelers sit at -1 with two takeaways and three giveaways by the offense.