It was a poor showing by the Steelers in their season opener. The defense was gashed open and the offense looked like a shell of itself. All of this came after a promising preseason performance that seemed to indicate that the Steelers may be set up for some surprise success.
With the team now coming into week two a humbled unit, I wanted to find some potential solutions this team can make from this week into next. No, the Steelers aren’t going to add a handful of new names, as it is early for that, to say the least. Here are four improvements that need to be made heading into week 2.
1. Steelers need to get the defensive line sorted out
Injuries are an unexpected and unfortunate aspect of any NFL team. Stars go down and your depth gets tested. That said, the Steelers highlighted their depth along the defensive line in the preseason, but that didn’t appear to be the case in week one.
Cameron Heyward and DeMarvin Leal missed most of the game with injuries, and the depth behind them proved to be inefficient. The team saw Christian McCaffrey gash them, and while the edge rushers got pressure, the interior failed to get much of a push.
It was frustrating that despite these injuries, the Steelers limited Keeanu Benton’s work. One of his highlights in the preseason was his run defense and push, so it was curious why he saw fewer snaps than Montravious Adams.
Arguably the most frustrating player was Larry Ogunjobi. Signed to a sizable deal in the offseason, he once again failed to make a big impact. The team needed him to step up, but he once again couldn’t. This group needs to get healthy, but it also needs to sort out its strengths and focus on them.
2. Steelers need to go more vertical on offense
The Steelers offense looked like a well-oiled machine in the preseason, running over everyone and making plays over the middle of the field and deep down the field. Then, they turned up for their first game and reverted to how the unit functioned a year ago. Quick and short passes, inefficient running, and lackluster playcalling highlighted the Week 1 offense.
All of this happened even with the injury to Diontae Johnson. While Johnson can win vertically, he is also a regular threat in the short game. With him out, the team decided to utilize deep threats like George Pickens and Calvin Austin in the short game when both work better in a vertical offense.
The offense as a whole didn’t showcase what it had in the preseason (more on that later), but the sudden reversion back to the offense of old was not welcome. It limited the potential for a comeback as the offense was sluggish and inefficient. This team just couldn’t move the ball because of this limiting offense.
No, the Steelers don’t need to suddenly become an air raid offense, but there needs to be more of a focus on the deep passing game. Pickens has showcased a great ability to win contested passes deep while Austin is a speed freak. Not using either in that role was a serious mistake.
3. Steelers need to get the rookies involved
To be fair, I was fully expecting the Steelers rookie class to take a backseat in this first game. Broderick Jones couldn’t beat out Dan Moore for a starting role and the team appeared to have some more reserved plans for Joey Porter.
That said, the group as a whole was completely quiet. Benton was used less than a player like Adams along the line, and that made his chances of making an impact less likely. Darnell Washington was arguably the biggest contributor, and it wasn’t for his receiving ability. He was a mauling blocker that showed up on tape.
I’m shocked with how this team handled Porter in week one. No, it wasn’t a surprise to see Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace play a lot, but with Desmond King not playing, the Steelers slot position was wide open. Instead of moving Peterson there as what was teased to get Porter on the field, they didn’t, leaving the rookie on the bench.
Had the cornerback play been sound this would have been one thing, but they weren’t. Wallace was very hit-or-miss and he gave up quite a few big plays. Peterson was better overall, but he also gave up two touchdowns in this game.
The rookies need to get on the field more. This team was pathetic and needs some sort of a change this week. Everyone from this rookie class looked like a legitimate star at times, but no one was given a good chance to make an impact. The rookies need to get more involved moving forward.
4. Steelers need to establish their identity
This was easily the biggest frustration from week one of the season. The entire offseason was built around the run game. New maulers on the line and a focus on blockers in the passing game made it seem like this offense would move through the run. I fully expected a heaping load of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren in this game.
While the defense was quick to let up a score, the Steelers were equally quick to abandon their plans. Suddenly, Pickett was the focus, and his play was mediocre at best. Pickett was constantly stalling out in the passing game, and the offense forced the defense back on the field far too often.
This led to a further deficit, which then forced the team to have to rely on the passing game. It was pathetic to see this team so quickly shift its focus from what they had built around to how they played last season. It wasn’t effective either, as evident by the big loss in week one.
Going down early isn’t ideal, but suddenly dropping your game plan in favor of one that you did last year was nonsense. The Steelers need to reestablish what they wanted to do and focus on the run game. If not, expect similar results every game this season.
The Steelers first week went about as poorly as it could have gone. The offense and defense both looked miserable and the team was blown out. There are some changes that need to be made soon in order for Pittsburgh to get back on track.