The final numbers almost tell the story of how dominant the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense was during Sunday’s 19-11 victory over the Tennessee Titans. 11 points, 238 total yards, 7 turnvoers, 4 sacks, 26:20 Time of Possession. All impressive, but really, the defense was even better than the stats suggested, particularly in the middle stages of the game.
The Tennessee Titans accumulated 238 total yards in 61 offensive plays on Sunday. If my calculations are correct, 167 of the total, or roughly 70 percent, occurred in either the first half of the first quarter, or in the final five minutes with the Steelers up by a full two scores (two touchdowns and two two-point conversions). That’s a hefty portion of a team’s output confined to just 22 percent of the game’s 60 minutes.
In the 29 offensive plays the Titans ran following Troy Polamalu’s interception leading up to the first play of their lone touchdown drive, the Steelers absolutely stuffed the Titans.
29 plays, 10 yards, 5 turnovers. Incredible. And to think (greedily)… had Kerry Collins’ fumble on the first play of their touchdown drive not bounced right to a teammate … Regardless, we may not ever see the defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers be that dominant over the course of a 30-play stretch ever again.