The Pittsburgh Steelers are 2-0 without playing their best
Even at 2-0, the Pittsburgh Steelers have yet to find their best form this season, and everyone knows it.
So far, the Steelers’ most impressive win has been a 26-9 victory over a Sam Bradford-less Minnesota Vikings. While the Vikings have way more than enough firepower to win with or without their starting quarterback, it seemed that they were lost without their first string passer.
You can’t take anything away from Pittsburgh for taking advantage of an unfortunate injury. The Steelers saw an opportunity to start their home season 1-0, and they grabbed it.
But even if they looked much more impressive than their Week 1 win over the Cleveland Browns, the Steelers are still not hitting full stride.
Ben Roethlisberger said it best when he told reporters after their win, “We’re not BCS-pointing it here. We’re 2-0. We did what we had to do.”
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Yes, Pittsburgh has done what they’ve needed to start the season undefeated. At this point, it’s early, they’re winning, and until they begin to lose there’s nothing to really complain about. But, with the schedule the Steelers have ahead, fixing their issues now is important.
Right now, the Steelers are relying on their defense. 40-combined points on offense heading into Week 3 is not what Pittsburgh was expecting this early. Usually, it’s a 30-point standard at Heinz Field, and even with 26, it was clear that this team just wasn’t clicking like they should.
Ben Roethlisberger may have thrown for over 200 yards and two scores, Martavis Bryant may have had his first breakout game of the season, and Le’Veon Bell started to look like the runner he truly is, but you could still tell this team wasn’t there. They looked like they weren’t in sync, and this early in the season, that’s okay.
Realistically, Pittsburgh has one more week to figure everything out before their real season starts. While the Baltimore Ravens may not be the dominant team they were a few years ago, they’re also 2-0, and the Steelers play them in Baltimore in Week 4.
A matchup with the Chicago Bears next week should give the Steelers the final piece of preparation they need to put the finishing touches on this offense. T.J. Watt and Stephon Tuitt should be good to go by Week 4, and the offense will hopefully find a rhythm.
There are adjustments to be made, but for the most part, Pittsburgh is perfectly fine with where they are. Maybe they don’t have everything figured out just yet, but at 2-0, there’s nothing to complain about.
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Time will continue to fix the remaining issues on this team. Until they’re perfect, though, let’s just be happy they’re not 0-2 trying to get it together and catch up in the standings.