5 things we learned from Steelers performance against the Dolphins

Mike Tomlin’s team still starting slow after a bye week

Before Monday night’s contest against the Dolphins, Mike Tomlin’s team hasn’t been very good coming out of the bye week over the previous five years. The Steelers were just 2-3 after the bye, and they allowed their opponents to score 26.0 points per game.

That trend looked as if it would continue again. For some reason or another, Pittsburgh came out flat after the bye and looked like the underdogs after one-quarter of play. Offensively, they turned the ball over and failed to sustain drives, while the defense struggled to cover DeVante Parker and Preston Williams in the first quarter.

Eventually, the better team prevailed. The Steelers went on a 27-0 run to secure the victory. Regardless, it’s still concerning to have such a slow start after the bye against a lousy opponent.

Steelers wide receivers are improving

Heading into last season, the Steelers wide receiving core has been like a rollercoaster ride. At one minute, they are considered among the best groups in the league, and the next, they are a trainwreck – unable to rely on any player consistently.

JuJu Smith-Schuster has had a down season so far, and Donte Moncrief has been an incredibly disappointing free-agent investment. Still, after a rough start to the season, things finally appear to be turning around.

JuJu seems to be returning to 2018 form, and Diontae Johnson is improving as fast as any player on the team. He had arguably his best performance of his young career this past week as he hauled in 5 of 7 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. There is still a lot of work to be done, but this group possesses some upside if they keep improving.