At 5-2, there should be little to be disappointed with as a Pittsburgh Steelers’ fan. With one more game to go before the BYE, the Steelers have a legitimate chance to get to 6-2. What worries me is that it feels like very familiar territory doesn’t it? The first half of the season goes well and then the injuries mount and the competition gets better. Ultimately, it leads to a first round playoff exit.
Why It Feels That Way
Like several teams under Mike Tomlin in the last decade, the defense always felt like it could do just enough. It wasn’t “great” but it got key stops and forced those turnovers at just the right times. That’s kind of how this new defense feels under Patrick Graham. It bends and bends again and then just when it feels like it’s going to break, it withstands the pressure.
Offensively, the offense runs entirely through what Aaron Rodgers is comfortable with running. Sometimes that’s good and other times it’s not. There’s no doubt that this year’s offense feels more dynamic and more threatening than in years in past but it’s still not clicking. The offense put up three field goals and a touchdown today. That’s good enough to beat a Saints’ defense that ranked at the bottom. What will it do against Denver? Jacksonville? Houston? And even the Browns next week?
I get the feeling that Mike McCarthy still doesn’t have a grasp on just what he wants to do with this group. Go run heavy with Jaylen Warren or let Rodgers throw it at will? Identity issues have plagued this unit under Arthur Smith and Matt Canada in the past. Those didn’t turn out well in the postseason.
Hope That This is Different
To this point Patrick Graham’s defense has been what I would call “very vanilla.” He’s still largely relying on four or five guys to get pressure while the secondary plays ‘tackle the catch.’ As the stakes grow and the season turns colder, will Graham turn up the heat? Jalen Ramsey is a good tackler and a good blitzer off the edge. He was exposed several times this morning however in coverage. You aren’t taking him off the field but does Graham let him rush a bit more? Does he find a way to get more interior pressure? There are things Graham really hasn’t done yet so I’m hopeful we haven’t seen everything in his aresenal.
On offense, Mike McCarthy just needs to accept that Jaylen Warren needs touches. He had 21 today for almost 150 total yards but here’s the thing; he could have and should have had more! That’s not a knock on Rico Dowdle because he had 15 touches for 86 yards but the moments when Warren was brought off the field were strange. He would get them into the Red Zone but then he would be subbed out. I get it to a point, he’s probably a bit gassed, but doesn’t he deserve those opportunities?
There are still elements of the passing game that can improve too. While one cannot argue the wide receiver position has been affected by injuries, that doesn’t mean you just constantly go to the dump off. But much of this is on the offensive line too. If they can’t protect long enough for downfield routes to develop then it really doesn’t matter.
If these types of issues all sound familiar it’s because they are. We’ve seen this before with Mason Rudolph, Rodgers last year or the final years of Ben Roethlisberger on offense. The defense may have someone else calling the plays and devising the scheme but it too feels like one of those ‘Twilight Zone’ moments.
We should be thrilled to be at 5-2 right now with a great chance to get another ‘W’ before the BYE but at the same time, it feels like the all too familiar ‘other shoe’ is getting ready to drop in January.
