Well, I don't know about you but I am in shock and in awe of how we played on the road in the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons. I was fully expecting us to lose this game, but I'm glad we won (that goes without saying); however, I am not glad about the manner in which we won.
When Chris Boswell, our 'all world' kicker, accounts for all the points on offense, that tells you all you need to know about how the offense performed. When the defense gives up only ten points, on the road no less, that tells you all you need to know about how the defense performed.
With those aforementioned points in mind, let's see how we played on the offensive side of the ball.
The Steelers offense is still a work in progress but at least some progress was made
If you watched the Steelers play in the preseason, you probably came to the same conclusion that I did about this offense, which is this: the offense is going to take some time to 'gel', That was on full display against the Falcons. A game that saw former Falcons head coach and current Steelers OC Arthur Smith make a triumphant debut against the team that fired him.
We managed a total of two hundred and seventy yards and surrendered two sacks, which frankly could have been more had it not been for Justin Fields's ability to run the ball. We possessed the ball for a little over thirty-five minutes, did not find the end zone at all, but did not turn the ball over either.
I have always said that a win is a win and I'll take the win. I will not overreact to the offense's inability to generate at least one touchdown, but we can not continue to rely on the defense to play 'lights out' week in and week out. That formula is not sustainable.
At some point, you have to be able to win a game on offense without having to rely on the defense to generate turnovers to get you possessions. If you have the ball for a little over thirty-five minutes of a sixty minute game, you must find the end zone at least once, but, as I just said, a win is a win and I'll take the win.
Let's see what we learned on the defensive side of the ball.
The Steelers defense came ready to play and dominated the Falcons offense
Despite giving up ten points, which is a feat in and of itself in today's NFL, the Steelers defense put on a display of dominance against the Falcons. The 'D' surrendered less than one hundred yards on the ground, less than one hundred and forty yards through the air, and generated two sacks and three turnovers.
T.J. Watt led the way with one sack and one fumble recovery, which is pretty much what I expect from Watt week in and week out. What I did not expect was that we would end the game with two INTs from what I would label as the 'unusual' suspects.
Donte Jackson, the player we acquired from the Carolina Panthers as part of the Diontae Johnson trade, nabbed one of the two INTs the defense was able to generate. The other newcomer who made a 'splash' play was DeShon Elliott, who got the other INT.
Look, I am all for playing complementary football, but when the defense hands the offense three 'free' series, I'm sure the defense is expecting the offense to 'punch it in' the end zone at least once. Alas, that did not happen, Again, we won the game, but we can't expect the defense to 'save the day' every week.
Let's see what else we learned
I'll be the first to admit that after what we witnessed during the preseason, I was fully expecting us to lose this game. While the offense did not inspire much confidence, the defense played as if they were in mid-season form.
That's exactly what we are going to need from the defense if we are going to have a chance to win this season. After Mike Tomlin hired Arthur Smith as the offensive coordinator, I knew it would take some time to find a rhythm.
Fields was effecient and did not turn the ball over; however, at some point, this offense is going to need its quarterback to make plays. What does Smith have in the 'quiver' if we find ourselves down multiple scores in a particular game?
How will Tomlin play it if it's fourth and long on our side of the fifty-yard line in the fourth quarter in a two-possession game? Fortunately, we did not have to find out what Smith or Tomlin would have done because we dominated the time of possession, but what if we didn't or what if we don't next week or two weeks from now?
Again and I sound like a broken record here, but a win is a win and I'll take the win, but I am not blind to the fact that this team has flaws. Will those flaws be exposed or, as Tomlin likes to say, will we be able to play to our strengths and minimize our weaknesses? Like everything else we discuss, only time will tell.