A closer look at some of the matchups in Week 7, with the benefit of film review:
Steelers O vs. Cardinals D
This game was just another showcase of Ben Roethlisberger’s uncanny ability to extend the play. He seemed not to even bother to read the defense before many snaps. Instead, he preferred to let the pass-rush define itself and then react. No other N.F.L. quarterback can have consistent success playing this way (not even Michael Vick). Roethlisberger made it work with his strength and underrated accuracy. Antonio Brown and Heath Miller were his go-to receivers most of the afternoon. That’s partly because cornerback Patrick Peterson did a stellar job of defending Mike Wallace (Peterson was not involved in the coverage on Wallace’s 95-yard touchdown – a play that was 90 percent about Wallace’s incredible speed and 10 percent about safety Rashad Jones’s playing just a tad too shallow). With the exception of left guard Chris Kemoeatu, who struggled in his first game back from a two-week knee injury, the Steelers offensive line was decent in pass protection. The running game was inconsistent for the first 50 minutes, however, with swift Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington making several outstanding backfield stops.
Cardinals O vs. Steelers D
It was pretty much what you’d expect: the Cardinals did not muster a consistent ground game because the Steelers linebackers were too fast and aggressive (an active three-man defensive line enables that). Ike Taylor did a solid job shadowing Larry Fitzgerald (a notable portion of Fitzgerald’s catches came late against a semi-prevent defense; as for Taylor’s three first-half penalties, they were worth it considering he was able to be grabby in coverage for much of the afternoon). LaMarr Woodley was spectacular in getting off blocks. From the file of “unexpected,” the third-string nose tackle Steve McLendon had a terrific game. He’s not built to be a low-leveraged clogger, and he didn’t draw double teams the way Casey Hampton would, but he made a vast array of solo run stops in the first half.
For Arizona, there should be concern about the inability of the “non-Fitzgerald receivers” to get open. Also, several of their pass protection concepts were just plain wrong (they slid away from Woodley’s side and toward a non-blitzing Lawrence Timmons on more than one occasion). And finally, Kevin Kolb’s accuracy was awful whenever he threw off-balance.
Falcons O vs. Lions D
The Motor City crowd witnessed a very well-played game by both teams on this side of the ball. The concerns about Detroit’s run defense are overblown. The Lions held Michael Turner to roughly two yards per carry with the exception of a 51-yard run that was set up by fantastic run-blocking execution and a few missed tackles. The Falcons used a similar tactic on that play that the Niners used last week against the Lions: allow the left defensive tackle (Ndamukong Suh or Corey Williams) to penetrate and then block them from the backside (the Niners used a tight end in motion to do it; the Falcons used center Todd McClure). This creates a natural hole that, if you can keep the linebackers out of, puts your running back one-on-one against a safety. Great play.
On most occasions, however, the Falcons could not get Lions linebackers blocked. DeAndre Levy dominated the first three quarters and Stephen Tulloch took over in the fourth. Safety Louis Delmas was also a potent eighth box defender throughout. All three were able to use their downhill speed freely because the Lions’ defensive line consistently outperformed Atlanta’s sluggish front five.
Through the air, Matt Ryan did a superb job stepping up in the pocket and getting the ball out quickly (three- and five-step drops were a big part of the plan). Atlanta used good underneath route combinations against Detroit’s Cover 2 and Cover 3 looks (something they haven’t always done this season) and consistently exploited the linebackers’ inability to defend Tony Gonzalez (who was brilliant as a route runner).
Lions O vs. Falcons D
The Falcons successfully attacked Detroit’s mediocre offensive line with a combination of disguised blitzes and A-gap crowding looks. This helped dictate pro-Falcons one-on-one mismatches for ends John Abraham and Ray Edwards against tackles Jeff Backus and Gosder Cherilus. More important, Matthew Stafford never quite got comfortable with all this. This is one example of the hidden ways a bankrupt rushing attack hinders an offense. Even with Jahvid Best out, the Lions may regret not running more in this game. Maurice Morris actually had a little success running out of the shotgun. Maybe it wouldn’t have mattered; aside from a few athletic Calvin Johnson plays, the Lions generated nothing with their wideouts.
Browns O vs. Seahawks D
Seattle’s entire defense played well, but it wasn’t exactly challenged. What’s worrisome is Cleveland’s inability to spread the field and play basic pass offense. Too much of the aerial attack is predicated on play-action and rollouts. That’s what you do when you want to simplify your quarterback’s reads and put minimal demands on his arm strength. The question is whether the Browns continue to employ this tactic because of Colt McCoy or because of their nonexistent speed at wide receiver.
Montario Hardesty caught some grief for gaining less than 100 yards on 33 carries. He wasn’t great in this game (he must learn to hit the hole earlier in the run and gain better balance by having a lower center of gravity), but the bigger issue was the lethargic play of guards Jason Pinkston, Shawn Lauvao (who left with a bruised knee) and John Greco (a big guy who was good north and south but poor east and west). One final note: Seattle’s Chris Clemons has been arguably the best all-around defensive end in the N.F.C. this season.
Seahawks O vs. Browns D
This game may prove damaging to Charlie Whitehurst’s career. Why would a team want him as a starter after this? His long-term future as a backup may even be in doubt. And this performance came against a very average defense, no less. Whitehurst did not make a bunch of bonehead mistakes, the way Rex Grossman did a week ago, but that was partly because he often could not even bring himself to pull the trigger. He had a tendency to fixate on a target before throwing. He left a lot of open receivers on the field. He had little sense for pocket movement. And, despite outstanding protection for much of the afternoon, he was wildly inaccurate, especially downfield.
Dolphins O vs. Broncos D
The story of this matchup was Denver’s successful blitzing. The entire Dolphins offense struggled against the blitz. The running backs were iffy in pickup; the receivers did not always spot hot route assignments; and quarterback Matt Moore did not consistently identify potential pass-rushers before the snap. The Broncos often blitzed a linebacker inside and brought a speedier player (either a defensive back or, in overtime, sensationally athletic strongside linebacker D.J. Williams) a half-beat after that outside. Miami’s passing game has been way out of sync the past few weeks. For Denver, two other things stood out: the speed and initial burst of Von Miller off the edge, and the energy and instincts of Brian Dawkins in the box.
Andy Benoit is an N.F.L. analyst for CBSSports.com and founder of NFLTouchdown.com. He can be reached at andy.benoit@NFLTouchdown.com or @Andy_Benoit.
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