After a shellacking at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, the Pittsburgh Steelers emphatically stated that they aren’t about to be manhandled again. With a 37-19 dismantling of the Carolina Panthers in prime time, Pittsburgh showed improvement and once again seems to be in the thick of a wide-open field in what has been a whacky start to the NFL season.
Here’s a look at what we learned from the team’s Week 3 matchup.
Le’Veon Bell just keeps on racking up yards at will
With each game this season, Le’Veon Bell is putting to rest any doubts about his ability to play football at the pro level. Every time he touches to football he’s able to make something out of it regardless of the blocking he receives on the play. His patience actually helps the offensive line set things up for him.
Bell has an effective mix of speed, vision, toughness, and explosiveness. He’s not afraid to drop his pads to get one extra yard when necessary, but he’s also adept at picking his way through tacklers or bursting through the defense. He had finally given the Steelers a running back they can depend on every down. The fact that LeGarrette Blount is starting to find his stride as icing on the cake for a team that should drastically improve its rushing numbers this season is a good sign as well.
Getting pressure on opposing QBs is the missing ingredient on defense
Before last night, Pittsburgh had not consistently been able to generate pressure on quarterbacks. It took an unlikely candidate in Cam Newton for them to finally get on track. No doubt Newton’s sore ribs helped the cause, but Pittsburgh played a much more consistent game up front on defense.
Things will only get better as Jarvis Jones and Ryan Shazier—who each looked improved after terrible performances in Baltimore ten days ago—adjust and grow within the defensive scheme. Pressure up front takes the heat off of a questionable Pittsburgh secondary that once again looked to be over their heads against a weak crop of young receivers.
Pressure also leads to turnovers. Its worth noting that the Steelers’ first takeaway of the year came on a fumble that was due entirely to the pass rush collapsing the pocket around Newton.
Penalties must cease
One key area for improvement is in the penalty department. Pittsburgh committed a batch of ridiculous fouls in Carolina highlighted by David DeCastro throwing linebacker Luke Kuechly to the turf near the end of the half. Penalties kill drives, something that was a theme last night at times, and a team already struggling to score touchdowns doesn’t need any further drawbacks.
Part of the penalty problem is the inconsistent and spotty enforcement of certain calls by officials, but penalties can’t be blamed for a loss or credited for a win. Both teams have to learn to overcome the referees. Pittsburgh consistently is not doing that and it has become a noticeable problem after three weeks of high penalty totals.
The offense must capitalize more in the red zone
One of the disturbing trends carrying over from 2012 and 2013 is a lack of red zone production. Pittsburgh’s Shaun Suisham has set a team record for consecutive field goals kicked in the middle of an extended offensive drought.
One of the problems appears to lie in the playcalling. Todd Haley frequently makes excellent calls to rack up yards in the middle of the field but struggles to find the right buttons to push in the red zone. A potential solution may be to give Ben Roethlisberger full control of the offense after they reach a certain spot on the field. Roethlisberger’s ability to operate the no-huddle effectively shows a talent for clutch calls.
Another problem this season is consistency. This isn’t a surprise given the team’s youth at receiver and in the backfield, but Roethlisberger has to adjust his game as well. Sometimes it seems as though he’s out of touch with his targets not named Antonio Brown. That needs to change. When they are all on the same page, good things happen. That’s been a rarity despite the great second half surge Sunday night.
“Next man up” will be tested in the coming weeks
Injuries to Ryan Shazier, Jarvis Jones, and especially Ike Taylor tested the depth of the defensive roster. The injury to Taylor (broken forearm) has to be a major concern because of how important he is to an inexperienced and weak secondary. With Taylor due to miss significant time Pittsburgh may be forced to seek outside help.
Seeing Sean Spence on the field was a welcome sight after a preseason injury threatened his storied comeback from a terrible knee injury. Spence played well in place of Shazier for the most part, and showed he can be a contributor to this team and possibly more someday.
Mike Tomlin doesn’t believe in letting injuries hold his team back, but losing a key contributor like Taylor will be difficult to compensate for unless someone emerges from the depth chart or outside the organization. The same goes for Shazier or Jones, although the team is certainly deeper at the linebacker position and can survive some dings there.
