3 early games that will test the Pittsburgh Steelers revamped offense

Pittsburgh Steelers VS Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Week 6

The Steelers will once again have to contend with a team quarterbacked by Tom Brady, and the Buccaneers could be even better this season with some injury luck. It’s their defense though that could benefit most from a return to health.

The Bucs corner trio of Carlton Davis, Jamel Dean, and Sean Murphy-Bunting missed a combined 17 games last season, and their pass defense finished 21st because of it. The rush defense was excellent once again, and that likely won’t be changing as long as star nose tackle Vita Vea is healthy.

Assuming the Steelers are dealing with a healthy Tampa defense, it will be a challenge to get much going on offense. The run game should be improved with Najee Harris entering year two and with an improved line, but it may not mean much against this caliber of run defense. Their best bet will be to challenge their physical corners by taking shots deep and forcing them to have to play softer coverage.

With Tom Brady running the opposing offense, you can’t rely on the defense to keep them in check. The Steelers have to be prepared to handle a shootout just in case. That means being aggressive and not forcing the run game if it isn’t effective. Too often last year Najee was run right into brick walls over and over, and that can’t happen against Tampa if they want to compete.

The Steelers early-season schedule is pretty daunting, but if they can go into the bye week at .500 or better and with an improved offense, they will have a good chance of being in the playoff race at the end of the season. If nothing else, the offense almost has to be better than what fans experienced last season.