Playing time tracker for Steelers vs. Browns (Week 1)
Extending this concept from the preseason, each week I will take a look at playing time for each of the Pittsburgh Steelers and examine what factors may have gone into their playing less/more each game.
This week the Steelers eeked out a road victory against the Cleveland Browns. They showed a number of different looks than what we’ve been accustomed to with coordinators Todd Haley and Keith Butler. Let’s take a look at who played how much, and why that’s important going forward.
Offense
The wide receivers all contributed a lot in this game with the Steelers using a variety of multiple receiver sets. Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant each played over 50 of the offense’s 60 total snaps. Eli Rogers also played 2/3 of the game, but the surprise was JuJu Smith-Schuster chipping in 25 snaps.
Jesse James saw the lions share of playing time of the tight end group with 54 reps.
Some may have thought Le’Veon Bell‘s holdout may have had “repercussions” but you wouldn’t have known it on Sunday. Bell outplayed rookie running back James Conner 43 snaps to eight.
Vance McDonald‘s 18 plays were respectable for a player recently acquired via a trade with little practice time with the team. Xavier Grimble was the clear loser here, entering the field for a single play.
Defense
Two players, Ryan Shazier and Sean Davis, never left the field against the Browns. Both starting cornerbacks, Artie Burns and Joe Haden, only came off for a single play.
Surprisingly, two outside linebackers only came out of the game for four plays: rookie T.J. Watt and Anthony Chickillo, who replaced the injured Bur Dupree.
Slot corner Mike Hilton was in for 34 of the defense’s 64 plays, while William Gay subbed 26 times. J.J. Wilcox also subbed in for Mike Mitchell, playing 20 plays.
Stephon Tuitt was the clear loser with an undisclosed injury which saw him sidelined after playing only three snaps. Tyson Alualu was the beneficiary of his injury, playing 54 snaps, which was even two more than Cameron Heyward in this game.
Arthur Moats and James Harrison played all of one series: which amounted to four snaps.
Conclusion
The coaching staff went with the hot hand of Chickillo and Watt for nearly the entire game. Each linebacker contributed two sacks, for four total. Watt also had an interception.
The Steelers were also committed to a dime defense more than in previous years, based on Gay and Hilton’s playing time. This shows a philosophy shift on both sides of the ball, as the Steelers played more man coverage in the secondary while using Gay to track tight ends.
The offense had a similar shift with more four wide receiver sets than in 2016.
It will be interesting to see if the team continues these trends against future opponents or if this was a continuation of only a trial period carried over into the regular season.
Note: This article has been updated to reflect official snap counts from the NFL. It was previously based on an unofficial count.
