The start to the season might have been a little bit bumpy, but those early rough spots in a season often build character and unity in a team, and they have done that and more for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Steeler Nation. Now that the season is rolling along, the Steelers are building steam and we have every reason to believe they will make it deep into the off season.
Watt Powers the Defense
It’s no secret that TJ Watt is one of, if not the very best defensive players in the National Football League, but it isn’t just Watt. The Steelers have three outstanding pass rushers including Watt, as well as Melvin Ingram and Alex Highsmith. With Watt back healthy, the Steelers have been able to run more diverse defensive packages including a 1-4-6 package that lets them use all three pass rushers on the field at once. This is something no opposing quarterback ever wants to see. You know what they say, “If you see the number 90, it’s already too late.”
A Secondary that’s Not Secondary
When you look at the Steelers backfield, 24 year old free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is a two-team First-Team All-Pro and he rarely if ever disappoints. However, this year, the Steeler Nation has seen the rise of strong safety Terrell Edmunds. Edmunds has been stellar in coverage so far this season, already racking up more tackles than he has in any other season of his career. This season he has already been a thorn in the side of notable players like CJ Uzomah, Davante Adams and Darren Waller. Don’t be surprised to see Edmunds have a record breaking season, especially since it is a contract year for him.
Steeler Nation Offensive Questions & Answers
The truth is that there have been a lot of questions about Big Ben, and many of those questions center around his arm strength. Now, the team has lost JuJu Smith-Schuster for the season due to a shoulder injury. This might look pretty bleak, however, there are some serious silver linings on these dark clouds. The Steeler Nation is keeping the faith!
Big Ben’s 50 Yard Bomb to Diontae Johnson
In the Steelers 27 to 19 victory over the Denver Broncos, Roethlisberger threw a 50 yard strike straight into the waiting arms of Diontae Johnson for a touchdown. These are two great points of hope. First, it lets everyone know that Big Ben does still have the arm strength and that the 39 year old Super Bowl winner still has the touch. Second, it shines the spotlight on Diontae Johnson and his absolute killer speed.
Smith-Schuster is a dynamic player that can not simply be replaced, but Diontae Johnson will be a powerful weapon for Roethlisberger going forward.
Harris Has Breakthrough
You might have seen Najee Harris shed a tear on the bench in the fourth quarter against the Green Bay Packers, but it is important to understand that was because of the amount of passion that he plays with. After that happened, he was a big part of driving the ball down the field and he hurdled pretty much the whole Packers defense for a touchdown – bringing the Steeler Nation to its feet.
The next week, Harris had his first of what will be many hundred yard games against the Denver Broncos. That game likely was just the breakthrough Harris needed to be everything we all knew he could become in the league.
Watch the Pittsburgh Steelers with your Steeler Nation at Hibernia Bar
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