Another game, another win (which is a good sign for the Pittsburgh Steelers). What is not a good sign for us is the fact that the win against the Green Bay Packers was yet another win that can be categorized as incredible. The reason I use the word incredible will become clear as we progress through this discussion.
Suffice it to say, a win at home no matter how 'ugly' or 'uninspiring' is still a win. This particular win has us tied for second place in the AFC North, which, frankly, is difficult for me to explain without saying that, sometimes, it's better to be lucky than good.
Let's see what we learned on the offensive side of the ball.
The Steelers offense finally got the running game on track
Despite the fact that we have been outgained on offense in every game this season, the Steelers offense may have found a formula that almost invariably equates to a win.
In the last two weeks, the offense has been able to run the ball efficiently and consistently. The combination of Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris accounted for one-hundred and eighty-three of the two-hundred and five rushing yards we were able to amass against the Packers, according to ESPN.
We outgained the Pakcers on the ground by eighty-nine yards. That is significant for many reasons, but for this particular game where the time of possession was essentially even, we were able to chew some clock and shorten the game.
For as good as the running game, our third-down conversion rate was not good and frankly has not been good all season. We converted only four of thirteen third-down opportunities, which translates into a conversion rate of just under thirty-one percent.
A less-than-stellar third-down conversion rate has plagued Matt Canada and the offense all season. In a game where we could have closed it out on offense had we sustained a couple of drives and scored TDs instead of FGs; however, a win is a win.
Let's see what we learned on the defensive side of the ball.