No points, few 1st downs: Steelers defense has dominated opening drives during 6-0 start

When Ben Roethlisberger said the Pittsburgh Steelers would take the ball last Sunday after correctly calling tails for the coin toss, it put the defense in unfamiliar territory.

It was the first time the Steelers won the toss this year and didn’t elect to put the defense on the field to open the game.

Until the 27-24 win at Tennessee, the Steelers’ pattern had been to defer so the offense would get the ball coming out of halftime. That decision puts the onus on the defense to make an immediate impact after the national anthem is played.

“As a defense, we love it,” defensive captain Cameron Heyward said. “We feel we get to set the tempo.”

The 6-0 Steelers have done that nearly to perfection through six weeks. No matter whether the defense has taken the field first, which happened in the first four games, or after the offense had first crack against Cleveland and Tennessee, the defense has made a strong opening impression.

Not only have the Steelers not surrendered any points on the opponent’s opening drive, they haven’t allowed a first down in the past four games. That has helped the Steelers take the first lead in every game this season except for the opener against the New York Giants.

“When we get the chance to go out there and set the tone for the team,” nose tackle Tyson Alualu said, “we take a lot of pride in that.”

Against Cleveland, the Steelers lost the coin toss and got the ball first when the Browns deferred. Then, Roethlisberger made the surprise decision to have the offense start the game against the Titans. In both instances, the defense took the field for the first time with a lead.

Minkah Fitzpatrick’s interception return for a touchdown on the Browns’ third play increased a 3-0 advantage. Armed with a 7-0 lead against the Titans, the Steelers forced a three-and-out. The lead was 14-0 when the defense returned to the field.

“When you can get up big on people, it takes them out of their game,” Fitzpatrick said. “Especially the teams that are heavy on the run, it puts them in more passing situations, and they have to put the ball down the field, and that’s something we want them to do.”

For the third week in a row, the Steelers will try to disrupt the flow of one of the NFL’s top rushing teams. The Baltimore Ravens enter with a 5-1 record built largely on a running game that is averaging an NFL-best 164.3 yards per game.

The Ravens have scored on four of their six opening possessions this year, getting two touchdowns and two field goals. The Ravens also have scored 47 points in the first quarter, which ranks No. 4 in the NFL.

The Steelers, meanwhile, have allowed just 17 points in the opening 15 minutes, the second fewest in the league.

Minimizing the run was a challenge the Steelers met against the Browns and Titans, who were the NFL’s top rushing team either collectively or individually coming into the game.

The Browns never could recover after falling behind 24-7 at halftime. Although the Titans nearly rallied from an identical deficit, the Steelers accomplished one goal by holding NFL rushing leader Derrick Henry to 75 yards on 20 carries.

It also helped the defense’s efforts that the Steelers dominated the time of possession in each game.

“That is huge for defenses,” defensive coordinator Keith Butler said. “When you’re not on the field very long, you don’t have to worry about a lot of things. You can put people in the position where they have to catch up, and when they have to catch up, they probably don’t have as much of the running game as we like to have.”

Mirroring their opening-drive success, the Steelers have been equally as unforgiving after halftime. They haven’t yielded any points on the opening drives of the second half, nor have they allowed a first down four weeks in a row on those possessions.

“As a defense, we think we’re going to get the ball quickly to our offense,” Heyward said. “But whatever situation comes about, we have to be ready for it.”