Steelers May Have Found A New Advantage Within Their Secondary Ahead Of Week 14

With the Pittsburgh Steelers outlasting the Cincinnati Bengals in a 44-38 shootout in Week 13, the attention now is on the Cleveland Browns. While the Steelers' defense might not be happy with all of the points they gave up, they made big plays when they needed them most. Pittsburgh's coaching staff trusted that their veteran pieces would show up and they did, forcing three turnovers in their win. One of their veteran players got more snaps than some might of anticipated on the defensive side of the ball, but that was the plan according to Head Coach Mike Tomlin.

During Tomlin's press conference on Tuesday, he was asked about why Cam Sutton received majority of the snaps over Beanie Bishop in the Steelers' latest win on Sunday. While Bishop has played well this season, Tomlin believed Sutton's veteran experience gave the team an edge in a game where they were facing one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. 

"Just the complexities of what they [the Bengals] do offensively, the fact that we're facing Joe Burrow, some of the challenges in terms of how they move people around, I thought it would benefit us to have a more veteran guy in the interior of our sub package and it would aid us not only in terms of concept recognition, but communication."

Tomlin made sure to let the media know that Bishop still has a big role with the defense. Having guys like Sutton and Bishop in the slot corner position allows them to shift the snaps around to best suit their strengths. Tomlin made it clear that both will be used, but the majority of the snaps will go to the player that best suits that week's matchup.

"There's some things that Beanie does better than him [Sutton]," said Tomlin. "And so, it's really cool to have viable capable guys for circumstances because we're going to divide the labor up as we see fit in an effort to position ourselves to win football games and in that case, play good defense." 

Omar Khan has done a great job to make sure that the Steelers' depth isn't lacking this season, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Khan signed Sutton during the offseason, with questions around if Bishop could really be a viable option starting in the slot. Despite Bishop's rough start to the season, he is starting to flourish on the Steelers' defense with already registering six pass defenses and three picks. Now that the Steelers have two slot corners that could be starters, it adds another element that opposing offensive coordinators have to prepare for -- the unknown of who is floating in the slot each drive. 

With the Steelers building their lead in the AFC North standings, every little victory adds up. Tomlin, who is known for looking to stack as many small victories as possible, may have another one to exploit week in and week out. Emphasizing the strengths of his two talented slot corners in game will add a bit of confusion to opposing quarterbacks. 

Steelers' Depth Could Be The Key To A Deep Run This Season

The Steelers in years past would bow out of the playoffs with key players out due to injury. Now Khan seems to have learned from the past and set a roster that can continue their winning ways, even if injuries were to occur. With two starting caliber slot corners that share the work load, adding Preston Smith at the trade deadline, and three stout inside linebackers, the Steelers depth will likely not be an issue as the season starts coming to an end. 

The Steelers are not only soon to be clinching their playoff berth, but are closing in on the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills for that number one seed in the AFC.

How would you rate Sutton's and Bishop's play so far this season? Do you think the Steelers' depth, especially on defense, will lead to playoff success? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

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