Expectations for Steelers 2021 season to be revealed against Detroit Lions

For all intents and purposes, the Steelers 2021 season begins on Saturday against the Detroit Lions

So let me clarify something right out of the gate:  I realize that the Steelers game on Saturday against the Detroit Lions is a pre-season game; however, it is the third preseason game, which typically signifies that the players who will start the season opener will also start the third preseason game.

With that said, I fully expect that we will see the first appearance of Ben Roethlisberger, our franchise and future Hall of Fame QB.  I also anticipate that the starting ‘O-line’ will be, from left to right, Chukwuma Okorafor, LT, Kevin Dotson, LG, Kendrick Green, C, although I personally believe that B.J. Finney, the 6th-year undrafted free agent out of Kansas State, would be a better option than Green, Trai Turner, our newly signed free agent, RG, and Zach Banner, who is coming off a season-ending injury in 2020, RT.

I don’t know about you, but I am going to be closely watching the play of the ‘O-line’, which is something I usually do anyway, for two reasons:  First, I want to see if we can consistently open holes for Najee Harris, our first-round pick in 2021, to run through and, second, I want to see if we can keep ‘Big Ben’ upright in the passing game.

If the Steelers ‘O-line’ can accomplish those two goals, I would suspect that the opening drive would result in a TD and that ‘Big Ben’ can call it a night after that.  Conversely, if the offense sputters, I would expect to see the starters play until we do score at least a TD, which is pure speculation on my part, of course.

Steelers fans will get a glimpse into the future on Saturday against the Lions

So when I say that we will get a glimpse into the future, the obvious caveat is that the projected week 1 starters will start against the Lions and will play at least one or two series.  Honestly, after having watched the game against the Philadelphia Eagles, I am really interested to see how our first-team defense plays.

I think the biggest question marks on defense are these:  T.J. Watt, our Pro Bowl, and All-Pro, OLB. Will he play?  Joe Schobert, our recently acquired ILB.  How much of the defensive scheme has he been able to absorb in the short period of time he has been with the Steelers? Melvin Ingram, our recently signed free agent OLB.  Can he be the player to spell Watt and does he have anything left in the pass rush department?

We may not see all of our ‘exotic’ blitz packages against the Lions that we would see during a regular-season game, but I think it’s fair to say that if the starting defense can get a couple of ‘three and outs’, they may give way for the second-team defense to see what they could do, but, again, that is speculation on my part.

In all fairness, neither the starting offense nor the starting defense will play the entire game, but, depending on how each unit performs, Steelers fans will probably see enough from both units to gauge how the 2021 regular season may transpire.

Frankly, I hope each starting unit dominates, and we are left with a feeling of confidence going into the season opener.  What happens if neither unit is spectacular?  What happens if we can’t move the ball on offense and can’t get a stop on defense?

If those two things come to pass, all I will say is this:  Buckle up as it will be a bumpy ride through the labyrinth of the 2021 regular season.