It wasn’t pretty at times, and penalties continued to hinder drives, but the Steelers offense was able to put up 26 points on a Vikings defense that features five Pro Bowlers. I’ll take the win.

Bryant’s Speed

On the Steelers second drive of the game, they took advantage of the matchup the Vikings gave them.

The Steelers have their 11 personnel (one back, one tight end, three receivers) on the field with Martavis Bryant being the lone receiver split out to the right (top of the screen). The Vikings defense run man-to-man defense a majority of the time and did so on this particular play. Todd Haley dials up a go-to for the Patriots: the slant-flat route combo.

Cornerback Terrance Newman gave Bryant a six-yard cushion, and all Bryant needed was a well-placed throw by Ben Roethlisberger. Safety Andrew Sendejo (#34) took a poor angle on the tackle attempt, so nothing was stopping Bryant from getting his first touchdown since the 2015 season. We are all glad to have him back.

Smith-Schuster’s First TD

With the Steelers knocking at the door for the second time in the game, they dialed up a nifty play for six.

Ben and Le’Veon Bell are lined up in shotgun formation with three receivers in a trips bunch formation to the right. JuJu Smith-Schuster motions over to the wing position showing man coverage in the secondary. Right tackle Marcus Gilbert does a phenomenal job of not only sealing the edge, but goes to the second level and gets enough of safety Harrison Smith (#22) to keep him from making a play. Left guard Ramon Foster pulls as the lead blocker for Smith-Schuster and lays into linebacker Eric Kendricks (#54). An easy four-yard touchdown and the first of what will hopefully be many from #19. Here’s another angle slowed down so you can really appreciate what the offensive line did to make this play possible:

Missed Opportunity

After two straight scoring drives, the Steelers offense looked to continue their momentum, but miss out on an opportunity.

The offense has their 22 personnel on the field (two tight ends, two backs and one receiver). AB and Jesse James run a go and corner route combination where Brown gets the attention of the cornerback and safety leaving a lot of green grass for James to work with. The play-action at the beginning of the play sucked up all of the linebackers, so James was wide open for a first down and then some. However, even though he was double covered, Big Ben attempts the deep throw to AB that lands way off the mark. The offense would try another deep shot on the very next play and end up punting after only three plays.

How Do They Do It?

With a little over a minute left in the first half, Big Ben and AB show again why they’re a special pair.

The reason I wanted to highlight this play is not because of its design, but because of Ben’s arm strength and AB’s awareness. The Vikings defense is running man-to-man coverage and brings six defenders on a blitz. Pro Bowl defensive end Everson Griffen flies past left tackle Alejandro Villanueva forcing Ben to step up in the pocket. With linebacker Eric Kendricks around his ankles, Ben is unable to step into his throw, but gets enough arm into the ball to get it to the sideline. As we’ve grown accustomed to seeing week in and week out, AB not only secures the ball, but somehow is able to drag his left foot in-bounds to reverse the initial incompletion call with Pro Bowl cornerback Xavier Rhodes draped all over him.

Incredible.

 

Were there any other offensive plays that stood out to you? Please let us know!