It wasn’t the prettiest game for the Steelers by any means, but they did enough to get their fourth win of the season and keep them afloat in the AFC North race. It was another slow start for this team, but some halftime adjustments kept them alive and in the hunt. It paid off with a 24-17 victory in the west.
This game despite being a win, was still a mixed bag. No, you can’t complain after a loss, but there were still some issues that this team needs to figure out. Here are the winners and losers from the Steelers win over the Rams.
Steelers winners:
Dan Moore
A lot was negatively said when the Steelers came out of the bye week and allowed Dan Moore to resume his starting role. His early start to the year was poor, and Broderick Jones looked proficient in his first start against the Ravens. It seemed like everyone expected the first-round pick to take over.
Moore held his own as both a run blocker and a pass blocker. Sure, it helped that he wasn’t facing a dynamic pass rusher, but he still paved the road for a good run game and a clean Kenny Pickett. Overall, it was a good day for the former fourth-round pick.
Steelers safeties
It wasn’t a standout day for the Steelers defense, but the entire safety room seemed to play well. They wrapped up well and did their part in limiting big plays. Minkah Fitzpatrick was his usual steady self as a tackler while Keanu Neal and Damontae Kazee both were fixtures on defense. All three led the team in tackles and had solid outings.
T.J. Watt
T.J. Watt is the single reason that the Steelers have won four games this season. He has been a force as a pass rusher. Even when he doesn’t get home for the sack, he forces quarterbacks to make mistakes. Add in his coverage skills being better than most of the Steelers cornerbacks right now and he is truly in a league of his own.
Steelers losers:
Steelers cornerbacks
Ugh. This group just can’t find its footing. Patrick Peterson continues to be a minor liability while Levi Wallace has been a major one. Joey Porter also had his worst outing as a pro this week. While there is hope for him, this group is going to need a big facelift in the offseason and maybe overhauled like the linebacker room was.
Steelers receivers
On paper, both Diontae Johnson and George Pickens had great games. The issue is that both had stupid taunting penalties late in the game that very easily could have cost them. Had the Steelers lost this game, it would have been due to the boneheaded moves by these receivers.
Again, a win is a win, but this team still needs a lot of help moving forward. Some improvements in this game can be built upon, but this team still needs to clean up a lot of their issues if they want to keep their momentum rolling.