After a blowout loss in Cleveland a few weeks ago, it was hard to find many people who gave the 3-3 Steelers much of a chance of turning their season around. After all, this was a team who could not buy a touchdown in the red zone, made a quarterback like Mike Glennon look like a Pro-Bowler and inexplicably lost to the winless, Glennon-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home.
Then there was the embarrassment in Cleveland.
With that loss, any remnants of patience Steeler fans might have had was gone, and the talk shifted from the field to who was to blame for the mess. Todd Haley and Mike Tomlin seemed to face the most criticism. Even the great Dick LeBeau was being called out after the embarrassment meted out by the “lowly” Browns.
Facing games against the Texans, Colts and Ravens after the debacle in Cleveland, pessimism had arguably reached levels that Steeler Nation had not seen since 2000. That was when the great Bill Cowher was in the middle his third consecutive non-playoff season, and was facing a rising tide of fans who believed it was time for Cowher to get his pink slip.
It was hard to find a soul who did not think the Steelers were done before the Steelers reached the halfway point of the season.
Even at 3-3, the Steelers were done. Finished. Caput.
Or were they?
Needless to say, two much-needed wins against the Texans and Colts have many fans changing their tune as the Steelers get ready to face the Baltimore Ravens Sunday night in a pivotal AFC North contest. Suddenly at 5-3, the Steelers are only a half game out of first place, and seem to be building momentum towards a second half run that could allow them to challenge for a division title.
Talking to Steelers wide receiver Markus Wheaton, it’s clear the players understand the importance of getting on a roll, along with placing the focus on the Ravens this week.
“It’s huge, being able to stack wins going into this week playing a huge game against Baltimore…It’s exactly what we needed.” Wheaton said. “We are always looking for growth, and it’s something we are going to continue to work on throughout the year.”
Though it might be a lot to expect 500-yard passing games every week, rookie receiver Martavis Bryant believes the Steelers passing game can regularly thrive, and wants to continue to earn both his coaches and Ben Roethlisberger‘s trust after three touchdown catches in the past two games. For Bryant, he understands that is still a work in progress.
“I know that I have to continue to work hard in practice and work on my craft, and gain more trust from the coaches,” Bryant said.
The willingness of the coaches to give players like Bryant a chance to shine seems to be paying big dividends for the Steelers offense, but Bryant is not the only rookie making an impact. Now healthy, linebacker Ryan Shazier is back to help a defense that won’t remind anyone of the Steel Curtain, but continues to improve.
Much like Bryant, Shazier is not being asked to do too much as a young player, and is being put in positions where he can be successful. Add massive nose tackle Daniel McCullers into the fold, and suddenly the Steelers have three rookies who can make an impact during the Steelers playoff push.
With a lot of new faces, and many players being asked to step into new roles, some growing pains can be expected. However, that can be a tough sell for the average Steeler fan. It seems clear the Steelers are starting to get a little more comfortable and are gaining an identity.
With players like Brice McCain, Lance Moore, Cody Wallace, Mike Adams and Sean Spence all contributing in recent weeks, this is a team that is finding a way with players who were not necessarily expected to make a major impact.
That is often the sign of a successful team.
After Sunday night’s pivotal matchup against the Ravens, the Steelers will have a number of games against teams that have struggled mightily in 2014. This includes four games against the New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons, who have a combined record of 8-23.
Though it would be foolish to look past the Ravens, and dangerous to assume wins considering the Steelers shaky record in recent years against teams with a losing record, the outlook is certainly brighter for the Steelers than it was after the Steelers lopsided loss to the Browns.
Count Roethlisberger as one of those who is not about to rest on his laurels, or get complacent looking ahead. Roethlisberger said as much after the game Sunday.
“I said to the team, this was offense, defense, special teams, coaches…this is everybody and why does it have to stop here? Why can’t we keep doing this,” Roethlisberger asked.
Though it’s a question that few thought would be asked a few weeks ago, Roethlisberger might be on to something, and that could mean trouble for the rest of the AFC.
