From the start of the 2011 season to the end of 2014, a troubling time for the Steelers’ defense, this was definitely not the case. In those four seasons the defense averaged a total of 34.7 sacks a year. Certainly a low point for the unit, but 2015 would prove the Steelers’ defense is well on its way back to prominence.
Last season the defense registered a total of 48 sacks during the regular season, tied for second highest since the inception of the Mike Tomlin era in 2007. (48 sacks were totaled in 2010, and 51 in 2008) Those 48 quarterback takedowns were in large part due to the Steelers’ pair of young defensive ends.