hawaiiansteel
10-13-2011, 02:01 AM
Are the 2011 Steelers Simply Great at Home and Bad on the Road?
Posted on October 13, 2011 by ted
The Steelers have been a true Jekyll and Hyde squad this fall. Pittsburgh (3-2) looked good in shutting out the abysmal Seahawks in week No. 2 and exhibited its best all-around performance of the season in a 38-17 win Sunday over a Tennessee squad that entered that game sporting a 3-1 record and the top-ranked defense in the NFL. Not so coincidentally, both of those games were at Heinz Field.
However, the Steelers have looked much worse on the road, getting blown out by archrival Baltimore, 35-7, in the season opener, squeaking by the still-winless Colts by a field goal in week 3, and then literally beaten up, battered and physically whipped by the Texans on both lines of scrimmage in week 4.
All offensive statistics back up the Jekyll and Hyde phenomenon. In home games, the Steelers are averaging 31 points, with offensive averages of 149 rushing yards, 277 passing yards, a 73 percent completion rate, and are yielding only 1.5 sacks per game. That is far better than the Pittsburgh offensive per-game road averages of 13.3 points, 84 rushing yards, 255 passing yards, a 58 percent completion rate, and 4 sacks per game.
Defensive differences are more pronounced, with the exception of Pittsburgh’s pass defense, which does not get tested as much on the road, because opponents are easily running on the Steelers. At Heinz Field opponents average 8.5 points, 49 rushing yards, 187 passing yards, a 63 percent completion rate, and are yielding 4 sacks per game to the Steelers’ stout defense. On the road, though, Pittsburgh’s opponents average 24 points, 149 rushing yards, 164 passing yards, a 54 percent completion rate, and are giving up just 0.5 sacks per game to a not-so vaunted Steel Curtain.
Finally, the Steelers have a combined turnover differential of negative-10 for their three road games, whereas their turnover differential is even (0) for home games.
How could the home-road performances be this different when the Steelers have long been regarded as the best or one of the best road teams in the NFL? The 2005 Super Bowl championship squad posted a better regular-season road record (6-2) than at home (5-3), and then became the first Super Bowl titleist to win four playoff games away from home, resulting in many fans purchasing “Pittsburgh’s Road Warriors” souvenir shirts.
The 2008 Super Bowl champs had the same 6-2 mark in home and road regular-season games; and the 2010 Super Bowl runner-ups went 7-1 during the regular season on the road, compared to just 5-3 at Heinz Field.
Generally, road games have not bothered the veteran-laden Steelers much, because their defense has consistently dominated over the years regardless of venue, and (I say this having been to Steelers’ road games in seven different cities) Pittsburgh easily has the largest and loudest road crowd in the NFL. The team almost never has a true road game like other franchises, because they regularly are supported by 10-25,000 Pittsburgh fans in opposing stadiums.
While Heinz Field is a lovely, scenic, venue that comes alive for playoff and key games, it fails to provide anywhere near the home-field advantage that Three Rivers Stadium did in the 1970s. Ticket prices have gone so high that many are now purchased by wine-and-cheese type transplants, many of whom came to the area for the white-collar medical or academic professions, and are rarely in their seats by the 10-minute mark of the first quarter for sunny and pleasant, 1:00 p.m. kickoffs.
In contrast, fans at Steelers’ road games, who generally live in or near the opposing team’s host city, are so excited to see their heroes in person that the majority arrive early enough to get drunk and loud during pre-game warmups, and then only intensify their spirits during the contest.
Now, I do not project such significant statistical differences to continue for home vs. road games all year. They are probably most attributable to the opposition, since the Steelers faced both the Ravens and Texans on the road and got Seattle at home. But that does not explain Pittsburgh’s struggles at winless Indy and brilliant play when hosting the Titans’ No. 1-ranked defense.
However, what can explain those successes and failures are matchups. The offensive line is obviously Pittsburgh’s weakest area; and that is one position group for any team that naturally encounters more problems in road games, particularly in pass protection due to crowd noise. But the Steelers faced three road opponents with outstanding edge rushers, something lacking on both the Tennessee and Seattle defenses. Moreover, they did so before the re-signing of Max Starks that seemingly helped shore up what had been their abysmal pass protection at left tackle.
Uncharacteristically, the Steelers’ main defensive problems this year have come in stopping the run, most visible by Houston (180 yards) and Baltimore (170) gashing them on the ground. But those teams also rank 5th and 9th in the NFL in rushing yards per game, whereas the two teams that traveled to Pittsburgh – Seattle and Tennessee – rank 29th and 32nd, respectively.
http://www.steelerslounge.com/2011/10/2 ... -bad-road/ (http://www.steelerslounge.com/2011/10/2011-steelers-simply-great-home-bad-road/)
Posted on October 13, 2011 by ted
The Steelers have been a true Jekyll and Hyde squad this fall. Pittsburgh (3-2) looked good in shutting out the abysmal Seahawks in week No. 2 and exhibited its best all-around performance of the season in a 38-17 win Sunday over a Tennessee squad that entered that game sporting a 3-1 record and the top-ranked defense in the NFL. Not so coincidentally, both of those games were at Heinz Field.
However, the Steelers have looked much worse on the road, getting blown out by archrival Baltimore, 35-7, in the season opener, squeaking by the still-winless Colts by a field goal in week 3, and then literally beaten up, battered and physically whipped by the Texans on both lines of scrimmage in week 4.
All offensive statistics back up the Jekyll and Hyde phenomenon. In home games, the Steelers are averaging 31 points, with offensive averages of 149 rushing yards, 277 passing yards, a 73 percent completion rate, and are yielding only 1.5 sacks per game. That is far better than the Pittsburgh offensive per-game road averages of 13.3 points, 84 rushing yards, 255 passing yards, a 58 percent completion rate, and 4 sacks per game.
Defensive differences are more pronounced, with the exception of Pittsburgh’s pass defense, which does not get tested as much on the road, because opponents are easily running on the Steelers. At Heinz Field opponents average 8.5 points, 49 rushing yards, 187 passing yards, a 63 percent completion rate, and are yielding 4 sacks per game to the Steelers’ stout defense. On the road, though, Pittsburgh’s opponents average 24 points, 149 rushing yards, 164 passing yards, a 54 percent completion rate, and are giving up just 0.5 sacks per game to a not-so vaunted Steel Curtain.
Finally, the Steelers have a combined turnover differential of negative-10 for their three road games, whereas their turnover differential is even (0) for home games.
How could the home-road performances be this different when the Steelers have long been regarded as the best or one of the best road teams in the NFL? The 2005 Super Bowl championship squad posted a better regular-season road record (6-2) than at home (5-3), and then became the first Super Bowl titleist to win four playoff games away from home, resulting in many fans purchasing “Pittsburgh’s Road Warriors” souvenir shirts.
The 2008 Super Bowl champs had the same 6-2 mark in home and road regular-season games; and the 2010 Super Bowl runner-ups went 7-1 during the regular season on the road, compared to just 5-3 at Heinz Field.
Generally, road games have not bothered the veteran-laden Steelers much, because their defense has consistently dominated over the years regardless of venue, and (I say this having been to Steelers’ road games in seven different cities) Pittsburgh easily has the largest and loudest road crowd in the NFL. The team almost never has a true road game like other franchises, because they regularly are supported by 10-25,000 Pittsburgh fans in opposing stadiums.
While Heinz Field is a lovely, scenic, venue that comes alive for playoff and key games, it fails to provide anywhere near the home-field advantage that Three Rivers Stadium did in the 1970s. Ticket prices have gone so high that many are now purchased by wine-and-cheese type transplants, many of whom came to the area for the white-collar medical or academic professions, and are rarely in their seats by the 10-minute mark of the first quarter for sunny and pleasant, 1:00 p.m. kickoffs.
In contrast, fans at Steelers’ road games, who generally live in or near the opposing team’s host city, are so excited to see their heroes in person that the majority arrive early enough to get drunk and loud during pre-game warmups, and then only intensify their spirits during the contest.
Now, I do not project such significant statistical differences to continue for home vs. road games all year. They are probably most attributable to the opposition, since the Steelers faced both the Ravens and Texans on the road and got Seattle at home. But that does not explain Pittsburgh’s struggles at winless Indy and brilliant play when hosting the Titans’ No. 1-ranked defense.
However, what can explain those successes and failures are matchups. The offensive line is obviously Pittsburgh’s weakest area; and that is one position group for any team that naturally encounters more problems in road games, particularly in pass protection due to crowd noise. But the Steelers faced three road opponents with outstanding edge rushers, something lacking on both the Tennessee and Seattle defenses. Moreover, they did so before the re-signing of Max Starks that seemingly helped shore up what had been their abysmal pass protection at left tackle.
Uncharacteristically, the Steelers’ main defensive problems this year have come in stopping the run, most visible by Houston (180 yards) and Baltimore (170) gashing them on the ground. But those teams also rank 5th and 9th in the NFL in rushing yards per game, whereas the two teams that traveled to Pittsburgh – Seattle and Tennessee – rank 29th and 32nd, respectively.
http://www.steelerslounge.com/2011/10/2 ... -bad-road/ (http://www.steelerslounge.com/2011/10/2011-steelers-simply-great-home-bad-road/)