Coaches in the NFL are typically always about accountability. Well, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin held himself accountable for one of the biggest mistakes his defense made in the team’s 24-21 victory against the Minnesota Vikings.
While speaking to reporters Wednesday, Austin blamed himself for the busted coverage against Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison. The Minnesota wideout caught a pass down the sideline and ran for an 81-yard gain with about three minutes left in the fourth quarter.
If not for linebacker Payton Wilson’s tremendous speed and hustle, Addison would have scored a touchdown. Wilson tackled Addison at the Steelers 1-yard line.
“I”m going to take that one. We were struggling with who was in the game,” Austin told reporters Wednesday, via Steelers Now’s Alan Saunders. “And I probably made a call that probably wasn’t simple enough for everybody.
“So that’s on me. That’s on me. I’ll make sure, if that ever happens again, if we have some attrition the way we did, the way it happened, I gotta give our guys something that’s way more simple. That they can line up and play.
“It may not be the best defense, but it will be something that we won’t have a chance to blow it. Our guys played great. Again, that last one was on me.”
Steelers Dealt With CB Injuries Late vs. Vikings
The Steelers had a depleted secondary in the final minutes of the matchup against the Vikings. In fact, Brandin Echols left with an injury on the play immediately prior to Addison’s long gain.
Former All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey was also not on the field for that play.
In the nickel defense against a three wide receiver-set from the Vikings, the Steelers essentially had to use all the defensive backs who were still available to them.
Darius Slay was one of the outside cornerbacks on the play. On the opposite side, the Steelers were down to No. 5 cornerback James Pierre. That’s because Joey Porter Jr. also had an injury and didn’t play at all in Week 4.
Without another cornerback available, safety DeShon Elliott was lined up in the slot on Addison’s big gain. Meanwhile, veterans Juan Thornhill and Chuck Clark were the two safeties.
Slay and Elliott appeared to have a miscommunication on the play. The two defensive backs covered the zone in the flat and allowed Addison to zoom past. Thornhill also didn’t pick up Addison.
As a result, Addison was wide open down the field. The Vikings receiver actually turned his entire body toward the Minnesota goal line to secure the pass from Carson Wentz, and yet he still had time to turn back around and run about 50 yards until Wilson chased him down.
Obviously, the Steelers secondary had a breakdown on the play. Even to casual onlookers, the breakdown appeared to happen because of a miscommunication, which Austin accepted blame for a few days after the play.
How Steelers Avoid Further Secondary Miscommunications
The Steelers still won despite the 81-yard play from Addison. So, the big gain was no harm, no foul. Pittsburgh’s defense did a lot of other great things in the win too.
For that reason, it’s easy to just overlook the breakdown as an outlier. Furthermore, it’s hard to disagree with Austin that his play call on Addison’s big play was probably just too complicated based on the odd combination of defensive backs the Steelers had to use on that snap.
It’s not a coincidence Addison gashed the Steelers defense immediately after Echols left the game.
Still, Pierre was the cornerback farthest away from the communication breakdown. Slay and Elliott appeared to be most responsible for the big play.
Yes, Elliott was out of position. But Slay and Elliott played more snaps than any other Steelers defender Sunday except linebacker Patrick Queen.
One would hope that even out of position, those two veterans would be able to communicate better. Maybe they will be able to if this situation occurs again, and Austin calls a defensive play that’s a little simpler or the assignments are clearer.
Steelers’ Teryl Austin Assigns Blame for Late Busted Coverage vs. Vikings