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The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday 26-17, placing them at the 1-1 mark going into Week 3. The offense seemed to struggle to get any kind of production and the defense was down two starters going into the game and lost another two starters during the game. Raiders’ QB Derek Carr played great and finished throwing for close to 400 yards and 2 touchdowns against the undermanned Steelers’ defense. The Steelers look to move to 2-1 at home against the Cincinnati Bengals in their second home game of the young 2021 season!
1) Now, let’s see the improvement of the running game!
Maybe, one of these weeks, when I make the run game a point of focus for the Steelers’ offense, they’ll back my narrative up. This past week was not the week for that! Rookie sensation, Najee Harris finished the game with 10 carries for 38 yards. As an offense, the team finished the game with 14 carries for 39 yards. This game seemed like another type of performance that places a team near the bottom of the rushing rankings at the end of the season.
2) Will the Steelers’ defense be able to keep Darren Waller in check?
TE Darren Waller was held in check for the most part of the game. The man is a top 3 TE in the NFL and was held to 5 receptions for 65 yards during last week’s matchup. The tight end position is something that has seemed to be a heel for the Steelers’ defense the past few years and they held him in check from breaking the game wide open.
3) Young Steelers’ offensive line versus the Raiders’ pass rush
Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby finished the game without collecting a sack, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have an impact on the game. Crosby finished the game with 5 of the 9 QB hits the Raiders’ pass rush gathered on QB Ben Roethlisberger on Sunday afternoon. Defensive tackle Solomon Thomas notched the only two recorded sacks on the day for the Raiders’ defense, but the they made those 9 QB hits count when they were able to get to Big Ben one way or another!
1) Next man up!
The Steelers will for sure be without WR Diontae Johnson, DT Carlos Davis, OLB Alex Highsmith, and OLB TJ Watt on Sunday afternoon against the Bengals. The team will be faced with replacing the production of Johnson with WR James Washington. Washington, this is your time to shine! This is a perfect chance to show why he should get more opportunities in the passing game. With the defenses’ two starting outside linebackers both being ruled out for Sunday’s matchup, gives an opportunity for free agent addition Melvin Ingram III to let his talents showcase. Ingram has collected 4 QB hits, 2 tackles for loss, and a sack in the early stages of this season. It will be great to see what he and OLB Jamir Jones can do as a pass rushing tandem. Jones was on the roster bubble during final cuts, but showed enough to make the team. Now is the time for him to prove the Steelers right about keeping him over veteran pass rushers!
2) Improvement on the offensive line
Early on this season, the Steelers’ offense has struggled pushing the ball down the field in the passing game as well as getting some kind of running game going. Something has to give! This is a very young offensive line and I was very optimistic going into the season with these 5 starters. They just seem to be inconsistent as a unit right now. There are some plays that they look like they are a group of maulers and the next play, a defensive tackle will blow by two of them to collect a sack. As a former offensive lineman in high school and college, I understand it takes time to work together as a unit, but the clock is ticking for this unit. Media members are already asking HC Mike Tomlin questions in regard to making some changes up front and rightfully so. Big Ben has taken 15 hits in two weeks and the Steelers’ offense has only rushed for 114 yards during this young season. We need to see some improvement from this unit this week or some changes need to be made!
3) Pushing the ball down the field will be key to opening up suspect running game
In my opinion, one of the reasons for the struggle of the rushing attack is the failure to push the ball down the field in the passing game. The offense seems to be as predictable as it was just a season ago just with a little more pre-snap motion. Opposing defenses just load the box against the Steelers and dare them to push the ball down the field. In a perfect world, once the offense can prove that they can punish teams in the passing game down the field, it will open up the rushing attack and let Harris shine as a ball carrier! Roethlisberger, through two weeks, has averaged just 6.6 yards per attempt. I’m not sure of the reason, but the Steelers seem to be too conventional. This has to change!
What do you think, Steeler Nation? What should we watch for against the Bengals? Sound off in the comment section below, or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
Last week in review
The three things I noted to keep an eye on last week were:
1) Now, let’s see the improvement of the running game!
Maybe, one of these weeks, when I make the run game a point of focus for the Steelers’ offense, they’ll back my narrative up. This past week was not the week for that! Rookie sensation, Najee Harris finished the game with 10 carries for 38 yards. As an offense, the team finished the game with 14 carries for 39 yards. This game seemed like another type of performance that places a team near the bottom of the rushing rankings at the end of the season.
2) Will the Steelers’ defense be able to keep Darren Waller in check?
TE Darren Waller was held in check for the most part of the game. The man is a top 3 TE in the NFL and was held to 5 receptions for 65 yards during last week’s matchup. The tight end position is something that has seemed to be a heel for the Steelers’ defense the past few years and they held him in check from breaking the game wide open.
3) Young Steelers’ offensive line versus the Raiders’ pass rush
Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby finished the game without collecting a sack, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have an impact on the game. Crosby finished the game with 5 of the 9 QB hits the Raiders’ pass rush gathered on QB Ben Roethlisberger on Sunday afternoon. Defensive tackle Solomon Thomas notched the only two recorded sacks on the day for the Raiders’ defense, but the they made those 9 QB hits count when they were able to get to Big Ben one way or another!
Let’s take a look at 3 things we should watch for against the Bengals:
1) Next man up!
The Steelers will for sure be without WR Diontae Johnson, DT Carlos Davis, OLB Alex Highsmith, and OLB TJ Watt on Sunday afternoon against the Bengals. The team will be faced with replacing the production of Johnson with WR James Washington. Washington, this is your time to shine! This is a perfect chance to show why he should get more opportunities in the passing game. With the defenses’ two starting outside linebackers both being ruled out for Sunday’s matchup, gives an opportunity for free agent addition Melvin Ingram III to let his talents showcase. Ingram has collected 4 QB hits, 2 tackles for loss, and a sack in the early stages of this season. It will be great to see what he and OLB Jamir Jones can do as a pass rushing tandem. Jones was on the roster bubble during final cuts, but showed enough to make the team. Now is the time for him to prove the Steelers right about keeping him over veteran pass rushers!
2) Improvement on the offensive line
Early on this season, the Steelers’ offense has struggled pushing the ball down the field in the passing game as well as getting some kind of running game going. Something has to give! This is a very young offensive line and I was very optimistic going into the season with these 5 starters. They just seem to be inconsistent as a unit right now. There are some plays that they look like they are a group of maulers and the next play, a defensive tackle will blow by two of them to collect a sack. As a former offensive lineman in high school and college, I understand it takes time to work together as a unit, but the clock is ticking for this unit. Media members are already asking HC Mike Tomlin questions in regard to making some changes up front and rightfully so. Big Ben has taken 15 hits in two weeks and the Steelers’ offense has only rushed for 114 yards during this young season. We need to see some improvement from this unit this week or some changes need to be made!
3) Pushing the ball down the field will be key to opening up suspect running game
In my opinion, one of the reasons for the struggle of the rushing attack is the failure to push the ball down the field in the passing game. The offense seems to be as predictable as it was just a season ago just with a little more pre-snap motion. Opposing defenses just load the box against the Steelers and dare them to push the ball down the field. In a perfect world, once the offense can prove that they can punish teams in the passing game down the field, it will open up the rushing attack and let Harris shine as a ball carrier! Roethlisberger, through two weeks, has averaged just 6.6 yards per attempt. I’m not sure of the reason, but the Steelers seem to be too conventional. This has to change!
What do you think, Steeler Nation? What should we watch for against the Bengals? Sound off in the comment section below, or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
