Green Bay Packers v. Steelers: Behind the Numbers
Here is a look at the numbers and stats that helped define the Green Bay Packers win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
By Paul_Bretl
The final score may not reflect it well, but this was a game that the Green Bay Packers were in control of for a majority of the 60 minutes of action. With the win over Pittsburgh, they improved to 3-1 on the season.
Now on this Victory Monday, it's time to take a look back at Green Bay's performance as we go Behind the Numbers.
15
Aaron Jones is a big part of what makes this Green Bay Packers offense go, and he needs to be a focal point each week. With that said, it's a long season, Jones has battled injuries in the past, and AJ Dillon can provide a different element to this offense.
Coming into the game, Dillon had just 18 total carries over the first three games. But against Pittsburgh, he had 15 and totaled 81 yards with a long of 25. The split between Jones and Dillon doesn't necessarily have to be 50/50 as it was on Sunday, but I would like to see Dillon get more than six touches per game.
Inches
I'm not sure what the exact number is, but the point is, Pittsburgh was incredibly close to drastically changing the course of this game with that blocked field goal that was called back due to an offsides penalty. If the Steelers were, in fact, offsides, it had to be by inches.
If you recall, against San Francisco, Mason Crosby's game-winner was nearly blocked when the Niners overloaded the right side, leaving Robert Tonyan to block two players. Well, the Steelers did the same thing. This is something that Green Bay will have to get ironed out.
4
Four receptions on five targets was Randall Cobb's stat line coming into Sunday's game. However, with Marquez Valdes-Scantling sidelined, Cobb played a much bigger role, hauling in five receptions for 69 yards with two touchdowns against the Steelers.
Four also represents the number of third-down receptions that Cobb had. As Andy Herman of Packer Report tweeted out, Cobb was 4/4 for 68 yards and a touchdown when targeted on third downs. The rest of the team was 1/5 for 11 yards, and Rodgers was sacked twice.
2
Two represents the number of potential big-scoring plays missed by Ben Roethlisberger. On two separate drives, Big Ben had JuJu Smith-Schuster open for what could have resulted in two touchdown receptions. But ultimately, those passes fell incomplete, and Pittsburgh was unable to score one either drive.
The Green Bay Packers were in control of this game for the most part, but if Roethlisberger had made better throws, this game could have turned out quite different.
4.9
There were the missed opportunities from Roethlisberger, a Pittsburgh offensive line that didn't allow the run game to get going, and pressure from Green Bay. The end result was a Steelers offense that averaged only 4.9 yards per play on Sunday. For some context, the Steelers' offense currently ranks 26th on the season, averaging just 4.9 yards per play.
This is a Pittsburgh offense that has really struggled this season, and outside of that first possession, the Green Bay defense did their job and kept them in check.
11 v. 24
Last week against San Francisco, it was pretty much all Davante Adams in the passing game. Adams was targeted 18 times, while everyone else combined for 12 targets.
This week was a different story, however, as we saw better distribution in the passing game. Adams still saw 11 targets, but the other pass-catchers combined for 24, with Robert Tonyan having seven of them and Cobb having six.
2.05
According to PFF, this was on average how long Roethlisberger held the ball on all of his drop backs. And this is why the Green Bay Packers pass rush numbers won't turn any heads--it's incredibly hard to get home in that amount of time. With that said, they were still effective overall, getting to Big Ben when he did hold the ball, making him uncomfortable, and controlling the line of scrimmage. The Steelers would average less than 4.0 yards per carry as well.
14
This is how many tackles De'Vondre Campbell had on Sunday, adding to his team lead in this category. Although tackles can be a misleading stat in terms of actual impact, that isn't the case with Campbell--he is all over the field.
Campbell gives Green Bay a speed and coverage element at the linebacker position that the team just hasn't had. He's reliable against the run and an effective blitzer as well. It's early, but this was a home run addition this summer.
9/15 and 2/4
Two of the more important stats that I always like to mention are third-down conversions and red zone efficiency.
Green Bay finished the game converting 9 of their 15 third-down attempts but were actually much better than that for much of the game. At one point in the second half, the Packers were 7 for 10 on third downs. In the red zone, they faced one of the better red zone defenses and would score a touchdown on just two of their four trips.
On the flip side, the Steelers converted just 4 of their 11 third-down attempts and were 0-2 on fourth downs. They also scored a touchdown on their only red zone trip.
10
This was another difficult matchup for a young Green Bay Packers offensive line as they were up against TJ Watt, Melvin Ingram, Cameron Heyward, and Alex Highsmith, but once again, they held up quite well.
Pittsburgh allowed just 88.3 rushing yards per game entering play, but the Packers totaled 129 yards on the ground at 4.0 yards per rush. According to PFF, the Green Bay offensive line would allow only 10 pressures in pass protection and were credited with only two sacks given up.
4 (again)
This is the number of healthy cornerbacks that the Green Bay Packers have on the active roster at the moment. Kevin King missed his second game with a concussion while Jaire Alexander suffered a shoulder injury, and we don't know the severity at this time.
That leaves the Packers with Eric Stokes, Chandon Sullivan, Shemar Jean-Charles, and Isaac Yiadom, as well as Kabion Ento on the practice squad. Depth at the cornerback position was a big concern entering the season, and now it is rearing its ugly head.
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__________________________
Born and raised in Green Bay, WI and I still call it home. After my family, watching the Packers, sharing my opinions on the team through my writing and interacting with other fans is my greatest passion. You can find me on Twitter at @Paul_Bretl.
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Comments (16)
splitpea1
October 04, 2021 at 11:48 am
The numbers:
27-17: It looks like you have the clearest crystal ball of them all--an exact hit!
At least 1: The number of times we'll need to clone Stokes if Alexander misses extended time. Other options: Gute scouring the league and pulling a rabbit out of the hat, welcome back Kevin King, or pray that SJR or Ento/Yiadom is up to the task. For starters, the upcoming Bengals have three good receivers we're going to need to be able to defend.
51: Hopefully Barnes will be back soon. Burks made a couple of nice plays, but also had a couple of embarrassing whiffs.
Spock
October 04, 2021 at 12:02 pm
Another number: No one (unless I've missed it) has mentioned that after the aforementioned blocked kick was wiped out by the off sides penalty Mason (Money) Crosby beat his own league best record by having 23 straight field goals w/o a miss. Hats off to him!
mnbadger
October 04, 2021 at 12:15 pm
44 - why is Ty Summers still on an NFL roster? Nothing against the young man, but he is not an nfl linebacker. I was glad to see him get pulled off the defense after the first series or two, he was never in the right gap nor effective in coverage. An extra safety makes more sense than having him in their. GPG
Razer
October 04, 2021 at 12:22 pm
44 or 42 pick your ILB poison. Neither Summers or Burks can fit the position that has been open for them for 3 plus years. I would like to see what McDuffie brings to this empty table.
LambeauPlain
October 04, 2021 at 01:19 pm
How many currently great ILBs were on the board over the past 5 years when either Ted or Gutey were on the clock? Ted did not value the position...it seems Gutey does not either.
I wonder if CMIII has anything left in the tank at age 35? He isn't an edge rusher anymore but can he still play at ILB? Why not try him out? OK...probably grasping at straws.
Another solid ILB to play alongside Campbell would ripple positively all across the D.
Is McDuffie truly worse than Burks or Summers?
Razer
October 04, 2021 at 02:23 pm
Neither Ted nor Gutekunst valued linebackers or D-linemen. Through a ton of draft capital at CB and OLB. Maybe a C grade when it comes to defensive drafting. Just above horseshit
4thand10
October 04, 2021 at 02:55 pm
Special teams.
HarryHodag
October 05, 2021 at 11:09 am
Summers, and to a lesser degree, Burks hang around as players for special teams. Again, with a strapped salary cap you lose depth. What a stroke of luck Gutey was able to sign Campbell before the start of training camp. Without him there would be a hole the size of Stephen A. Smith's mouth to run through.
packer132
October 04, 2021 at 05:30 pm
Packers defense is quietly coming along going into week #5. Injuries have kept a couple of starters out, though thats why you need a deep roster like Green Bay has. Lets hope a few injured can return against the Bengals, though the team will still be without Z Smith, Alexander, and MVS. It was great to see Cobb and Dillon have a good game. I think Ento gets some snaps on Sunday and hopefully Barnes and Jenkins are back. A couple of accurate throws by Big Ben could have made it a close game. It's a league of parity, and there are 9 games this week with a point spread of 4 or less. One or two plays can turn a win into a loss. Packers 31- Bengals 24.
Guam
October 04, 2021 at 01:47 pm
If we are talking numbers, I have one more for the group.
Zero. The number of snaps Lancaster played. Yes, her was injured rather than benched, but the D-line looked a bit better albeit against a weak Pittsburgh O-line. Maybe Joe Barry will notice the difference and continue to give more snaps to Slaton and Heflin.
jhtobias
October 04, 2021 at 03:52 pm
Cobb should start at cb he made a heck of a play on davante adams
PatrickGB
October 04, 2021 at 04:25 pm
A while back this site had an article on “Mesh” packages. That was one of them that Cobb thought was miss thrown. We did not run that when he was here last. I don’t expect him to make the same mistake again.
Leatherhead
October 04, 2021 at 10:34 pm
All three teams that we have won against…..Lions, Niners, and Steelers….will probably finish last in their divisions.
croatpackfan
October 05, 2021 at 08:00 am
Partly because of Packers, isn't it?
Leatherhead
October 05, 2021 at 08:06 am
They just aren’t as good as the other teams in their divisions.
Savage57
October 05, 2021 at 05:04 am
Three numbers that usually foretell a win...
Time of possession, turnovers, and passer rating differential.
Packers won all three, and the game.