As if the difference wasn’t evident enough in last Thursday’s loss, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense is finding its stride. The defense is crashing back to Earth. Arthur Smith’s unit is nearly top-ten in scoring through six games and seven weeks. The defensive grouping led by Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin ranks 19th and is fading after getting carved up by QB Joe Flacco.
New data highlights the disparity. Per Steven Patton’s model, which quantifies play calling and goes beyond surface-level data, Smith ranks as the fourth-best play caller. Defensively, Austin ranks 30th.
Below are his most recent charts.