Pittsburgh Steelers Film Study: Forget Stats, Defense Was Great Against Vikings

Numbers can lie. Want an example? In 2002, the Pittsburgh Steelers faced off with the Houston Texans for the first time.  In that game, the Steelers generated over 400 yards of offense.  They allowed less than 100 on defense. They also lost 24-6. So, when Brett Favre passed for 334 yards against the Steelers two Sundays ago, was it a case of numbers that lie or was it a case of numbers that reveal? The numbers lie. First of all, look at the rest of Favre's statistical line for the day. He threw 50 times, completing 33 passes. Only three passes went longer than 25 yards. He was also sacked four times, threw a costly interception in the red zone, and lost a fumble near the red zone. So, Favre averaged 10.1 yards per completion and 6.68 yards per attempt. Those numbers are well within the realm of respectability for a defense. No one likes to allow 300+ passing yards, but in this case, it was exactly what the team needed to do. Second, if you are a defensive coordinator preparing for the ... (link)