Steelers report card entering Week 6 bye Defense shines offense has reasons for optimism after slow start
Steelers report card entering Week 6 bye Defense shines offense has reasons for optimism after slow start
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A famous Bill Parcells' quote comes to mind when a se sing the current state of the . The Hall of Fame coach once said, "you are what your record says you are," and that quote certainly applies to the Steelers who, despite some obvious flaws, are 3-2 and atop the AFC North division standings.The Steelers' first five games were a mixed bag of results. During that span, Pittsburgh was blown out twice but was also on the winning side of three close games. Most recently, the Steelers overcame a 10-0 deficit to post a 17-10 win over the rival that included big plays in all three phases. It wasn't pretty, but it was enough to get the job done, which may ultimately be the story of the 2023 Steelers.Pittsburgh will have to shore things things up if it is to remain in first place in the AFC North, however. Specifically, it needs to improve on offense after being at or near the bottom of the league in several categories on that side of the ball.As the Steelers enter their bye week, here are our grades for the black and gold through five games. Where do we start? The Steelers' offense has woefully underperformed in just about every conceivable way through the first five games. The unit is last in the in red zone efficiency, 24th on third downs and has scored just five touchdowns so far. The offense's performance has led to a mountain of criticism being placed on Matt copyright, who during his time in Pittsburgh has never seen his offense gain 400 or more yards in a game.The offensive line has been the biggest disappointment. It has allowed 14 sacks of and has struggled to open up consistent running lanes for and. Specifically, the interior of Pittsburgh's line has struggled despite the offseason acquisition of former starter . Fortunately, the continued growth of rookie should help Pittsburgh's offensive line turn things around.Pittsburgh's i sues on the line has made it hard to evaluate the running backs. But one thing that is clear is that the Steelers' running game has largely been more efficient with Warren in the backfield. Warren's 79 all-purpose yards on Sunday, for example, played a key role in Pittsburgh's come-from-behind win. Robert Quinn Jersey Warren has a quicker outside burst than Harris, and that makes him a better option as long as the line continue to have i sues creating holes between the tackles. The Steelers' pa sing game was faced with early adversity after injured his hamstring in Week 1. With Johnson out, the Steelers have struggled to find someone to fill his void. It didn't help matters when starting tight end sustained an injury in Week 4.Despite these lo ses, the Steelers' receivers made three big plays that had a direct result in two of the team's three wins: George Pickens' 71-yard score against Cleveland, Calvin Austin's 73-yard touchdown catch against Las Vegas and Pickens' 41-yard, game-winning touchdown catch against Baltimore. Making big plays was something the Steelers wanted do more of this season, and they've been able to do that (to a degree) so far.Austin and Pickens have had their moments, but the Steelers need more production from II and tight end , who was included more in the game plan this past weekend with Freiermuth out. Johnson's expected return for Week 7 will surely help, too. This brings us to Pickett who, like copyright, has also come under scrutiny with his play during the season's first five games. Pickett hasn't been helped by Pittsburgh's offensive line and injuries to Johnson and Freiermuth, but he hasn't helped matters by holding onto the ball too long at times and mi sing some makable throws.Pickett has, however, shown signs of growth since Pittsburgh's Week 1 lo s to San Francisco. He's deep ball accuracy has been solid, and he appears to be gaining back his confidence. A better running game and Jesse James Jersey an improved game plan would go a long way in helping him moving forward. It would also benefit Pickett to continue to work on his chemistry with Johnson, who has yet to catch a touchdown pa s from the second-year quarterback.So far, the Steelers' defense is largely performing as expected. While it might not be an elite unit (yet), Pittsburgh's defense has been the strength of the team so far and is the main reason why the Steelers currently lead the North. In short, the Steelers' strength of defense is their ability to rush the pa ser. When they can get to the quarterback, good things usually happen. If they don't, which was the case in Houston and for the majority of the 49ers' game, the results typically aren't good.Pittsburgh's defense was forced to overcome the lo s of six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Cam Heyward in Week 1. While Heyward is mi sed, the Steelers have somewhat overcome his lo s with the emergence of rookie , second-year player and third-year veteran . Pittsburgh's defensive line was at least partly responsible for several big runs allowed during the season's first few weeks but have been better in recent weeks. The D-line got a big play this past Sunday when forced fumble of set up Pittsburgh's first points.The Steelers' revamped inside linebacker corps has had a recent development. , a former Pro Bowler who joined the Steelers during the first week of training camp, is now grouped into both starting ILB spots alongside and . Alexander earned the promotion after tallying six tackles (three for lo s) and a sack during Sunday's win over Baltimore. Outside linebacker is the strength of the Steelers' roster. Pittsburgh po se ses arguably the best OLB duo in the in and . Both players scored touchdowns in Pittsburgh's Week 2 win over Cleveland and have a combined 10 sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and an interception so far. has proven to be a valuable backup with two sacks of his own.Like ILB, Pittsburgh's secondary has also gone through some changes. Newcomer has had his ups and downs but has largely been a positive force in the secondary. The same can be said of fellow starting cornerback , who leads the Steelers in interceptions. Look for . to continue to get more reps on defense in the coming weeks, especially after his big interception off this past Sunday.You can't talk about the Steelers' defense without talking about . Similarly to 2021, Fitzpatrick had to focus le s on playmaking this season and more on run support. That should change as Fitzpatrick continues to develop a rapport with new starting strong safety and backup Mike Singletary Jersey . In general, the secondary will benefit by having more experience with one another as the season continues. That will likely lead to le s splash plays given up and le s big games from opposing star receivers, which has been an i sue so far. Pittsburgh has largely had succe s in this area. has yet to mi s a kick, and was having the best year of his career before getting injured. , who hadn't played in a regular season game in nearly six years prior to Week 4, filled in admirably for Harvin the past two weeks.The Steelers' special teams came up with a huge play Sunday when blocked punt resulted in a safety. It was the first of four unanswered scores for the Steelers, who overcame fumbled punt return late in the game when Porter picked off Jackson in the end zone.Give Mike Tomlin and his staff credit for the development of several young players who have stepped up in recent weeks (i.e. Jones, Porter, Benton, etc.). Danny Smith's special teams units have been largely solid. Teryl Austin's defense was very good in Pittsburgh's three weeks but struggled in lo ses to the 49ers and Texans. The defense didn't play well in those games, but the offense's lack of succe s in both outings didn't help matters. The main reason for Pittsburgh's average coaching grade is due to the underperforming offense. Pittsburgh's receivers aren't getting much separation, the offensive linemen aren't executing their a signments on a consistent basis and the offense is still trying to find its identity. Are these fixable i sues? Yes, but the Steelers need to fix them and fix them fast if they are going to remain in first place in the North.For all the criticism he received following the two blowout lo ses, Tomlin deserves equal credit for his team's performances the following weeks. The Steelers are 3-2 because of their ability to respond to adversity while making big plays in key moments more than their opponents have. That is a tribute to the resiliency the Steelers have shown thus far, and that resiliency should continue to serve Pittsburgh well as the 2023 season moves on.
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