The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t been to the playoffs in a couple of seasons, dragging themselves to nothing more than mediocre records. This is not a team that has suffered through 4-12 seasons or anything the Oakland Raiders are going through, but falling short of 10 wins and the postseason is just not acceptable for the franchise with more Super Bowl titles than any other. The Steelers expect to be great, not just good, and coach Mike Tomlin, despite a Super Bowl win in hand plus another Super Bowl appearance, has to be wondering if he can turn the corner with this particular team, which is showing signs of remaining stale instead of getting better. Will Pittsburgh break out of this slump?
Strengths
The Steelers have the best defensive coordinator in football, Dick LeBeau. Now in his 70s, LeBeau is as sharp as ever. He does not miss much of anything and always has his players attuned to what they need to do. It’s true that the likes of Troy Polamalu have not played as well in recent seasons, but that’s more a dip in form than a case of LeBeau not formulating the right system for his defensive unit. Pittsburgh’s defense still gets most things done. The Steelers are often, though not always, able to keep the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals in check, preventing those two offenses from being able to dominate Pittsburgh. The Steelers haven’t had much of an offense to speak of the past two seasons, so it’s been up to the defense to carry the workload. The defense hasn’t been spectacular in the process of trying to lead the team, but it hasn’t been a failure, either. The Steelers will endure to the extent that their defense can set the tone. With LeBeau still calling out defensive formations and making game plans, Pittsburgh can be a survivor and a team that gets back to the postseason.
Weaknesses
The Steelers’ weaknesses are so obvious, and in the world of the NFL, there are no secrets. It’s been the case for a few years now that Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has lost a step. He’s not as fast in the pocket. He can’t dance around the way he used to. He’s a lot more vulnerable, and people know it. Without that extra bit of scrambling ability, Big Ben is more routinely caught by defensive ends and linebackers. He doesn’t make the improvisational plays that used to come so naturally to him. Pittsburgh has to be worried about the end of the line for Roethlisberger’s career. He’s mean so much to the organization, but if he doesn’t play well this season, he might not be able to continue on. What compounds Big Ben’s problems is that the Steelers’ offensive line has been crushed by injuries over the past few seasons, preventing Roethlisberger from being able to get the extra seconds in the pocket he needs at this stage of his career.
Schedule
The Steelers’ NFC games come against the NFC South, which is not that bad a draw considering that the NFC North and especially the NFC West are much tougher divisions in that conference. The Steelers’ non-division AFC games are mostly against the AFC South, which is a great break for the team. The Steelers also play Kansas City and the New York Jets.
Outlook
The schedule could not be any better for the Steelers, who needed that sort of break. However, can this team make use of breaks? It’s not certain that it can. This looks and feels like a dying team, one that will need a rebuild and a reboot next season. Take the under.
Pick: Under 8.5
