After two mediocre performances in preseason games, the Pittsburgh Steelers made a statement Friday night. Against the New Orleans Saints, the Steelers reminded everyone that—oh, yeah—they’ve got an offense and—hey—it’s pretty darn good.
Pittsburgh won the game, 27-14, but it was more how they won the game that matters.
Here are some key takeaways from Pittsburgh’s win:
Sometimes a ‘B’ is best
The Steelers’ three ‘Bs’—Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell—all were playing in their first preseason game but looked like they were in midseason form Friday night, dismantling a New Orleans defense that seemed a step slow. Roethlisberger only came in for two series and 17 attempts (he went 12-17), but he torched the Saints’ defense for 148 yards and threw two touchdown passes. One of those touchdowns was a 57-yard pass to wide receiver Brown that looked like it should have come Week 16 against a division rival, not the third preseason game of the year.
Speaking of Brown, there’s just about nothing the guy can’t do. His four catches averaged 21.8 yards. (Of course, that 57 yard touchdown certainly helped that average.)
Bell showed Steelers fans why they should breathe a huge sigh of relief and not worry about his knee, which was injured last season when he tore his MCL and PCL. Bell was a force of nature, twisting and turning, starting and stopping, zig zagging and zag zigging—he had 21 yards on three carries and 37 yards on five catches.
It looks like the league’s best offense is back and, perhaps, better than ever.
Is this the year Pittsburgh’s defense goes back to being one of the league’s best?
The Steelers’ defense has upset fans in recent years, no longer the Steel Curtain or the 2008 defense where James Harrison and Troy Polamalu (among others) were unbeatable. Under former defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, the Steelers had a number of years where they were the NFL’s top defense (or at least close to it), but Pittsburgh’s offense has been its calling card lately.
Now, the defense isn’t going to, overnight, become the league’s best and take the attention away from the team’s offense (can you imagine Brown letting that happen?), but could the defense take a giant step in the right direction?
Last night, Pittsburgh held Drew Brees and Company to just 129 yards and one touchdown in the game’s first half. The Steelers’ linebacking corps looked especially disruptive and dangerous and, to the delight of Pittsburgh fans, hard-hitting. Ryan Shazier and Lawrence Timmons both recorded four tackles, while Vince Williams recorded five. Stephon Tuitt looked like he was playing with fire in his pants; he was consistently unblockable and gave the Saints’ offensive line quite a headache. If this group—which was without Bud Dupree (groin injury) and saw Cam Heyward leave with an ankle sprain in the second quarter—continues to play so well, it gives the Steelers a depth that should make opposing teams shiver with dread.
Still, the game’s defensive MVP award may have belonged to 2016 draftee nose tackle Javon Hargrave. He’s a step ahead of the offense, and he’s got an eye trained on the quarterback. He had the team’s only sack and had three tackles to go along with it.
You’d do well to remember the name Eli Rogers
With Brown getting his first preseason snaps in Friday’s game, wide receiver Eli Rogers used the first two games to grab some attention. In Game One against the Detroit Lions, Rogers had just one catch for eight yards but, in Game Two against the Philadelphia Eagles, he had four catches for 39 yards. He had two catches for 17 yards in Game Three.
With a lack of depth at wide receiver because of Martavis Bryant’s season-long suspension for marijuana use, Rogers has made a case for significant regular season reps. He’s still not going to be at the top of the depth chart—Brown and Markus Wheaton have the top spots locked up, and Sammie Coates and Darius Hewyard-Bey have looked consistent—but Rogers will likely still get significant playing time.
As a rookie out of Louisville in 2015, Rogers failed to make the team out of training camp. But this season, he’s can’t-miss TV. He’s not the second coming of Brown or even former wideout Hines Ward, but Rogers’ positives should give Todd Haley, Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator, reason to salivate and give opposing defenses another reason to groan.
While Rogers could still use some work on getting separation from cornerbacks and improving his acceleration off the line, he looks fast. Rogers has quick feet and has a good read on the field, using his body well and making defenders miss tackles in the open field.
Rogers could certainly make a statement this season.
Image credit: Joe Sargent/Getty Images
