Ryan Shazier Dominates in Wild Card vs Bengals (13 tackles, 2 FFs, 2 TFLs, 2 PDs)

Ryan Shazier’s performance versus the Bengals last Saturday in the Wild Card was very impressive. In this game, he collected 13 tackles, two forced fumbles, two tackles for loss, and two pass deflections. Additionally, he was used to rush the passer mainly in the 4th quarter. In this breakdown, we will take a look at all three phases of his game, and discuss how he used his physical skill-set along with form technique to make plays to secure the victory and help the Steelers move on to the AFC Divisional round.

Run Defense

In run defense, Shazier stood out as one of the best defenders on the field collecting two tackles for loss with his 13 tackles on the day. The first play we will look at happened with 5:16 left in the first quarter.

In this play, the Bengals attempt to run a power G-lead where they pull both the backside and the strongside guard to block for #32 Jeremy Hill. Shazier is initially watching the strongside A-gap between the right guard and the center, but since the right guard pulls to lead block, Shazier’s new responsibility is the gap between the down-blocking tight end (Eifert) and the right guard on the strongside of the formation. He dives through that hole and takes down Hill in the backfield for a 1 yard loss.

For those that watched the game (or have seen highlights by now), you will remember that Shazier forced two fumbles. The first fumble generated a lot of controversy due to the hit on Bernard that jarred it loose.

The Steelers drop into a Cover 3 shell with three deep zones and four underneath linebacker zones. Shazier is responsible for the curl/flat zone near the sideline (green). After #25 Bernard releases from the formation into the flat (black arrow), Shazier uses his elite speed to hit him after he catches the ball.

Let the controversy ensue! Was this a penalty? I’ll let Mike Florio, of ProFootballTalk, explain the rules to you and why Shazier was not flagged nor was he fined this week by the NFL:

First, Bernard had the ball long enough to become a runner. As a runner, he wasn’t defenseless. Since he wasn’t defenseless, he could be hit in the head or neck area, and with Shazier’s helmet.

Indeed, the fact that Bernard had the ball long enough to complete the catch and make his loss of possession a fumble means that Bernard had become a runner.

Second, the ban against use of the crown of the helmet doesn’t apply in a bang-bang situation. It requires the person delivering the blow with the crown of the helmet to “line up” the target. While close, that’s not what happened between Bernard and Shazier.

So Shazier rightly wasn’t flagged, and he should be omitted from the coming flurry of fines. Bengals fans may not like that, but it reflects a correct interpretation of the rules.

Here’s another view of the hit from the broadcast:

Moving on, the second forced fumble was just an excellent play by Shazier. The Bengals have the ball with 1:36 left in the game. Burfict intercepted Landry Jones pass beautifully just a play ago, and the Bengals attempt to run the clock out. They run to the right pulling three men across the heavy set formation to block for Hill.

Shazier rips the ball out of Jeremy Hill’s hands as he is being dragged down by #95 Jarvis Jones. Perfect technique on a gang-tackle situation. This dislodges the ball and gives it back to the Steelers for a game-winning drive.

Pass Coverage - Two Pass Deflections

In pass coverage, Shazier uses his range to sit in the middle/hook zones in the Steelers’ zone defense. Additionally, they like to line him up as the weakside defender on the line of scrimmage to drop into the curl/flat zone near the sideline.

In this play, the Steelers are playing Tampa 2 zone defense with two deep defenders and the middle linebacker dropping over the middle. Eifert runs a stick-route (black-arrow) from the right side of the formation right into Shazier’s zone (green). Shazier reads it the whole way and breaks up the pass.

His other pass deflection happened on the final play of the game. McCarron threw it up deep in an attempt to score with six seconds remaining, but Shazier batted it down to secure the Steelers’ victory.

Pass Rush

For most of the game, Shazier sat in zone coverage over the middle of the field, but in the final quarter the Steelers used Shazier in blitz packages mainly through the A-gaps. Some of the time he came in on a delayed blitz. Other times, he ran a stunt with #94 Timmons in an attempt to confuse the center.

In this play, Shazier blitzes through the strongside A-gap. The left guard thinks he is rushing through the B-gap between himself and the left tackle, but Shazier tricks him. He uses a swim move driving at the guard’s outside shoulder before punching past his inside shoulder to get by him. The guard looks foolish and allows him to chase McCarron down from behind. This forces the quarterback to throw the ball away on 3rd and 2 in the 4th quarter. The Bengals, however, did convert on 4th down and scored a few plays later.

The one thing that supremely impressed me about Shazier was his ability to close in space. It feels like everyone else is in slow motion as Shazier (#50) guns it through the blockers on this power crack toss. This is on the two-point conversion attempt that immediately followed the 25 yard touchdown pass to AJ Green that I mentioned in the last play.

What’s the problem with great speed combined with aggression? Overpursuit leading to missed tackles. This happened on multiple occasions where he’d fly right by the ballcarrier instead of slowing down to make a form tackle.

Overall, Shazier’s performance versus the Bengals will go down as one of the best all season by a linebacker and frankly by a defender. Shazier was unstoppable outside of a few select times where he could have made a tackle if he didn’t blast by the ballcarrier.

The Steelers were the AFC’s 6th seed, so they will go on to face Peyton Manning and the Broncos in Denver on Sunday. Should be a great match-up.

Follow Samuel Gold on Twitter: @SamuelRGold.