With the Steelers coming off a string of tough losses, the team will have to answer these four burning questions against the Broncos in week five.
The Steelers enter week five in what has to be classified as a must-win game for them. They have dropped the past three games and their season only gets tougher as the year goes on. The Broncos have a strong record, but they have some flaws that can be exploited.
The Steelers haven’t looked good though, so this game will be far from a cakewalk. Here are four burning questions the Steelers must answer in week five against the Broncos.
Can the Steelers stop a rejuvenated Miller?
It seemed as though Von Miller was in a relative decline the past few seasons, as his individual stats were beginning to dip. While still a good player, he was no longer the same player that opposing quarterbacks had to fear. This season has seen a different side of Miller though, as the Broncos star has looked reborn through the first four weeks of the year.
He has 4.5 sacks so far on the year and PFF has him graded at an 84.3 overall so far. Those numbers are strong, and it won’t be surprising for him to be an impact defender in this game. Add in the Steelers’ struggles along the offensive line, and it seems likely that Miller is an impact player in this game. He missed the contest last season with the team, but all signs point to him making up for that in 2021.
Can Banner make a difference?
It has been a tough year and a half for Zach Banner. After winning the right tackle job last season, Banner only got in about a half a game as his season was lost due to injury. 2021 hasn’t started off much better, as he landed on injured reserve shortly after the final cutdowns were made. Considering he was their top free-agent signing on the line, the team has to want him starting at right tackle sooner rather than later.
As of now, Banner’s status for week five is up in the air. He claims that he is healthy enough to play, but the team has yet to promote him from injured reserve. There is no guarantee that he ends up playing this week. Even if he does, there may be some rust considering he hasn’t played an NFL game for well over a year now (besides the preseason).
Frankly, the Steelers have a lot riding on Banner right now. With the line being well below average right now, Banner needs to provide the steady play that he was signed for. If not, there is essentially no hope that this blocking unit will get any better. The hope should be that Banner finally gets on the active roster and, more importantly, plays up to the level that the team hoped he would play at.
Can the Steelers hold Williams in check?
While he has yet to have a true statement game, Javonte Williams has been a strong runner for the Broncos so far. While he has been splitting snaps with Melvin Gordon almost equally so far, Williams has shown the elusiveness that made him one of college’s best backs. With the Steelers’ run defense faltering, stopping Williams has to be a priority this week.
On the season, Williams has broken an impressive nine total tackles. Najee Harris, on the other hand, has only broken six, but he has had more carries and significantly more offensive snaps to do this. Williams is hard to bring down right now, as his size gives him some natural power while his short-yardage agility makes him tough to wrap up in space. The Steelers run defense was exposed last game, and Williams could further damage this already struggling group.
Add in the fact that Gordon has been on the injury report this week and Williams should be in line for some additional rushes. Unless the rushing defense stiffens up, the Steelers could be in for a long day trying to tackle Williams. Expect Williams to be a focal point for the Broncos this week. The Steelers, meanwhile, will have to be prepared to stop the impressive rookie back.
Can the Steelers’ offense actually get creative?
This was a minor storyline a week ago, as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator Matt Canada came out before the Packers game and said there was no change to the game plan. Most people shrugged that off as a diversion considering how bad the offense had been and how stale the play calling was to accommodate Ben Roethlisberger. As it turns out, this was the actual plan, as the team quickly reverted to using the short passing game to little success in their loss to the Packers.
Things have to change this week. The game plan can’t be to barely run Harris and allow Roethlisberger to throw the ball 40 plus times this game. It has already proven ineffective, and the Broncos have a decent defense to match up against that style of play. Instead, the offense needs to get more creative. Mix in some play action and motion like week one as opposed to using an offensive game plan similar to 2020.
It will be a disastrous testament to this coaching staff if the offense is relying on receiver screens, short checkdowns, and running back draws out of shotgun all game. The Broncos will likely e expecting this, and the results likely won’t be pretty if the team doesn’t get creative. Yes, Roethlisberger limits what this offense can do, but the play calling also needs to improve if this team wants to get going in the right direction.
The Steelers are set to play a key game against the Broncos this week. While the season is still young, starting with a 1-4 record would be a bad omen for the rest of the season. The team will have to answer these questions in week five as they prepare to play Denver.