Steelers Win the Bye Week + Passing Out Some Flowers
Screenshot via Pittsburgh Steelers
In week 5, the Browns lost in London (vs. MIN), the Ravens got curbstombed in Baltimore (vs. HOU), and the Bengals lost in Cincinnati (vs. DET). The Steelers, at 3-1, sit comfortably in first place coming off their bye week. If you’re a Steelers fan, I’m not sure how you could’ve possibly asked for a better start than this one, all things considered. Until the Ravens get healthy, the division goes through Pittsburgh, and that is NOT what realists were expecting coming into the season. It’s paramount that they capitalize on their positioning and take care of business against bad teams over the next two weeks. I think it will be the difference between hosting a playoff game in Pittsburgh and not.
With all the turmoil in the AFC North, the Steelers certainly won their bye week if such a thing is possible. However, the early bye week has me pretty concerned for the second oldest team in the NFL (behind Washington), and the remaining schedule includes six division games, and dances vs, GB, vs. IND, @ LAC, @ DET, and vs. BUF. That’s a tough slate. With that in mind, I think there’s enough potential for stress and negativity there, so for the sake of this post, I want to spread some love to the units/players that have kept us on the winning side of the first quarter of the season.
I know the natural inclination of Steelers media folks is to dive straight into the national media talking points like Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf, and we’ll get there, but I think Cameron Heyward would be my vote for team MVP if the season ended today (not that I have a vote or that it matters). A lot of yinzers got caught pocket watching and talking crazy coming into the season, and folks have to be careful speaking on any grown ass man like that; let alone one with a legacy like the one Cam Heyward has built in Pittsburgh. I digress - 14 tackles, 12 stops, 11 pressures, three batted balls (passes defended) - all three resulting in INTs for somebody else, and a forced fumble (recovered by us). All that through four games. As advertised. Gold standard. A mismatch for everyone he lines up against. Have I missed anything?
As for the defensive line as a whole, it’s been a bit of a mixed bag through four games, although it’s trending in the right direction. The first two games were tough for us in the trenches, but since adding Derrick Harmon into the fold, that group has improved pretty dramatically. These next two games, vs. CLE and @ CIN, are going to be telling for this group of guys. We’re talking about two of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. I expect them to tee off.
In the middle of the defense, Patrick Queen is the obvious star of the bunch and he’s outplaying his contemporaries by a wide margin, as he should. I talked about it a bit in the offseason, but I think he wrongly shouldered a lot of blame for the defenses’ shortcomings last season, and while it hasn’t been perfect this year, I think we’re seeing him play a little bit more comfortable and free this season. Consider the sack in Ireland vs. MIN (above). He’s manned up against their RB on that play, but instincts told him to rush the passer. Then, his speed and versatility just takes over and he makes a big play. We’re paying him to make those plays, and I think we missed it last year, but if he is able to trust his teammates and play freely, we’re seeing what he’s able to do.
For the secondary, like the offensive line, I’m excited about the trajectory of the group moving forward despite a tough start. Jalen Ramsey was able to somewhat thrive in the chaos of the first two games, and really had the team on his back at times (see the end of the game @ NYJ). Darius Slay seems to be in the area for every communication bust we have (I’m exaggerating…sorta), but when everyone is where they’re supposed to be, I actually think Slay has been very good in coverage. But when that’s not the case, then guys are obviously breaking big plays, which needs to get fixed. While I agree that the secondary lacks speed in spots, I reject the notion that these guys are just getting burned every play. That’s simply not the case. With that being said, I hope Teryl Austin continues to blitz at a high rate, because our secondary is not built to cover guys for 5 seconds. We will get cooked.
On offense, we’re coming off one of the better gameplans we’ve seen from the Steelers in some years, which has me feeling good. I loved the heavy personnel with Darnell Washington and an extra offensive lineman (Spencer Anderson). We saw at least 19 snaps of that in Ireland, and Mike Tomlin says we can expect to see it more moving forward. If Kenneth Gainwell can attack that defense like that, then the world should be Jaylen Warren’s oyster (although this week in Cleveland could be tough).
Aaron Rodgers has been about what I expected through four games, although I will say he has exceeded a lot of folks’ expectations as a human being in that span. There’s tons of questions about whether or not this west-coast-style passing offense is going to be sustainable deeper into the season, but nerdy numbers guys tell us that our success rate is historic in some regard, so until teams stop it, I guess let’s keep it pushing. With the run game seemingly trending upward as well, I won’t nitpick even if watching it makes me want to rip my eyeballs out at times. Simply put, Aaron Rodgers has been perfectly fine, and certainly better than anything we’ve had in recent years, but the big knock for now is that we haven’t asked him to do much, which is true. But, we won a shootout in New York, and we won a pounder in New England, so let’s smile and wave for now, because these AFC defenses don’t seem to be striking fear in anyone's hearts anyways.
Like I said at the start, it’s really hard to ask for a better start to the season if you’re a Steelers fan. With injuries and turmoil plaguing our division, and us healthy and happy at the top of the standings, and all six division games left in the chamber, the AFC North crown is ours to lose. We found ourselves in a similar situation last year before we shit out five straight losses and blew the team up, so I’m going to contain my excitement until further notice. With that being said, as I’ve implied a lot over the last few months, this team is notably better than the 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers, even if you don’t consider them a serious contender.
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