One year after an overtime loss to Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos in the AFC Wild Card Game, the Pittsburgh Steelers now find themselves on the outside looking in. This will be the first season under Mike Tomlin that the Steelers have had less than nine wins. With a win on Sunday against the Browns, they will finish 8-8.
The question that Steeler Nation is now asking is: What now?
One of the biggest issues for the Steelers all season has been health. The Steelers have seen most of their top players be sidelined for a portion of time this season. Rashard Mendenhall, Brett Keisel , and James Harrison all started the season out banged up. The struggles to stay healthy have affected both sides of the ball. The Steelers have been forced at various times this year to rely on second and third string guys, like Charlie Batch and Jonathan Dwyer, to get the job done on offense. On defense, fan favorites like Troy Polomalu, James Harrison, and LaMarr Woodley spent more time on the sidelines than on the field it seemed. Getting these guys healthy and back on the field will be a big step in moving forward for next season.
Another thing that plagued the Steelers all season was turnovers. Especially late in the game. The team was (-)14 in the turnover department, only racking up nine interceptions of their own. For a team that has been known for its physical defensive play, that isn’t a whole lot. Any team knows that if you win the turnover battle, you put your team in a better position to win. It’s even worse when those turnovers come in the fourth quarter. Getting their defense off the field by forcing turnovers and letting the offense control the tempo of the game without turning the ball over could help to turn the team around.
While they have some things to work on this offseason, there are also some bright spots to take away from this season.
While the defense didn’t pile up many turnovers, they were tops in the league in passing defense and 2nd in the league in rushing defense. The Steel Curtain is still making tough and physical plays on the field, being ranked the top defense this year in terms of yards allowed. They have only allowed 272.9 yards per game this season and only 20.3 points per game.
Also, going down field for the Steelers and their “Young Money Crew” has worked well this season. The team has eleven different receivers who averaged over 11 yards per reception. These young receivers are only going to get better, providing a bright future on offense for Steeler Nation.
So from here, the Steelers can only go up. No problem seems too difficult to be fixed, here. They have the talent to succeed. It’s just keeping that talent healthy, and using that talent to the best of its ability moving forward. With a solid draft and maybe even a play in the free agent market, the Steelers should be looking at the playoffs with a different perspective in no time.
