I never thought much about takeaways and how they related to Super Bowl success until the Steelers “Old, slow and it’s over” defense stopped producing them starting with the 2011 season.
Between 2011-2018, Pittsburgh’s defense, one going through a seemingly never-ending transformation, averaged roughly 19 takeaways a season. When compared to what Super Bowl winners averaged over the years (a shade under 37 a season), that just wasn’t going to get it done.
Even in 2017 and 2018, when Pittsburgh’s defense got after the quarterback better than any team in the NFL, it still only averaged 20 takeaways a season.