PITTSBURGH -- A traditional Pittsburgh Steelers defense is synonymous with pressuring a quarterback, which makes the 2016 numbers so eye-popping.
The Steelers blitzed Tom Brady once (3.4 percent of his dropbacks) during Sunday's 27-16 Patriots win, according to ESPN Stats & Information, the lowest the department has recorded for an NFL team in its dataset in 2016. Linebacker Lawrence Timmons appeared ready to blitz on at least two occasions, but either way, Brady saw more than four pass-rushers less than 10 percent of the time.
In the last two games, the Steelers have blitzed a total of seven times, or 12 percent of dropbacks, with Brady and Miami's Ryan Tannehill completing 6-of-7 passes for 101 yards on those blitzes.