The Steelers are coming into the 2018 campaign essentially unaltered from last year’s 13-3 squad, but they’ll be hoping for a much different end to this season. The Killer B’s offense is back, as established vets Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown lead the attack while the defense features plenty of young potential. This mix of star power and budding talent not only makes Pittsburgh one of the best teams in the AFC but title contenders, too. But with a 36-year old quarterback and Bell likely playing elsewhere next season, this is the Steelers’ last chance for a while at the Lombardi trophy.
1st down: Will there be a sustainable replacement for Ryan Shazier?
The linebacker’s tragic injury left a significant hole in the defense as he masked a lot of Pittsburgh’s defensive flaws last year. In their first 12 games with Shazier on the field, the Steelers allowed just 16 points per game, but in the final six weeks without him, the defense gave up 27 points per contest. The run defense suffered as well with teams rushing for 133.5 yards a game once Shazier was out. The Ohio State product sat at the center of the Pittsburgh defense and made plays all over the field with his speed and sure tackling. Whether it’s free agent signing Jon Bostic, Tyler Matakevich, or even rookie safety Terrell Edmunds, the Steelers need to fill that hole and get reliable coverage at inside linebacker.
2nd down: Can they shore up the secondary?
For as talented as they are in the front seven, the Steelers had issues on the back end and an allowance of big pass plays plagued their secondary last season. They had the third-most 40-yard pass plays allowed with 13, and their 7.2 yards per pass average allowed was good for ninth-highest in the league. Unsurprisingly, the main problems stemmed from their safety play, so Pittsburgh acquired Morgan Burnett in free agency and spent their 28th overall pick on Edmunds. Those two will probably battle it out in camp to see who will slide in next to Sean Davis on the last line of defense.
3rd down: New OC, who dis?
To Big Ben’s delight, Todd Haley is out as offensive coordinator and former quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner is in. Unlike his predecessor, Fichtner has a good relationship with Roethlisberger, and he’s seen as someone that can expand and bring a greater consistency to the Pittsburgh offense (a unit that hasn’t ranked higher than 13th in red zone touchdown percentage in the last four years). Fichtner likes him a spread offense and running plenty of no-huddle within that approach. With a stronger, more trusting relationship between QB and OC, Roethlisberger will have more freedom to audible as well. And in the run game, the new offensive mastermind prefers a more frequent ball-carrying rotation, which lessens the wear on Bell for his future team. Everybody wins!
4th down: Is Mike Tomlin coaching for his job this season?
I admit this is a bit of a reach. Posing this question is essentially me going for it on fourth, but I’m saying there’s a chance. Yes, the Steelers are a franchise notorious for stability, as they’ve only had three head coaches in the last 49 years. However, the championship window is closing for one of the most talented squads in the franchise’s recent history. They’ve got the league’s best running back and wide receiver, a Hall of Famer taking the snaps, and a youthful defense peppered with talent, but Roethlisberger was contemplating retirement just last season, and Bell is all but gone next year after two straight summers of contract disputes. There have been plenty of rumblings about Tomlin’s ability to be more than just a good manager of personnel, especially after Pittsburgh got upset by the Jaguars at home in their first playoff game, so the Steelers need to live up to their potential (and finally get past the Patriots) in order to definitely silence any hot seat talk.
(Psst: Tomlin owns the highest winning percentage in team history. He’s probably not going anywhere.)
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