It looks like the Pittsburgh Steelers did not get the memo that their season was on course to be a miserable one after last Thursday’s frustrating loss to the New England Patriots. After looking completely out of sorts on defense and failing to capitalize of a multitude of opportunities on offense in the season opener, the Steelers returned to Heinz Field and put together a dominant team effort in defeating the San Francisco 49ers, 43-18.
Offensively, Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and DeAngelo Williams all had huge days and the defense, despite of giving up over 400 yards in total offense, looked more like a unit that might help the Steelers challenge for supremacy in the AFC.
With the Steelers getting a much needed win in their home debut, let’s take a look at this week’s Three up and Three down.
Three Up:
• The Steelers offense wasted no time getting rolling, scoring 29 first-half points and riding the arm of Ben Roethlisberger throughout. Roethlisberger was razor sharp, connecting on 21 of 27 passing attempts for 369 yards and three touchdowns. Antonio Brown might be hands down the best skill player in the NFL, and despite of being the focal point of the 49er pass defense, Brown would catch nine passes for 195 yards and a touchdown.
Although no one will confuse DeAngelo Williams with Le’Veon Bell, Williams proved for the second week in a row to be a welcome addition to the Steelers backfield. Williams tied a franchise record with three rushing TD’s versus the Niners, and was able to grind out 77 rushing yards on 20 attempts.
• Defensively the Steelers were able to thwart a 49ers running attack that ran roughshod in their opening game against the Minnesota Vikings. 49ers running backs were only able to combine for 60 rushing yards and made the offense rely on the pass, which did put up some numbers but were unable to keep the team in the game.
The Steelers defensive line was absolutely outstanding. Steve McClendon was stout in the middle, clearing the way for Ryan Shazier to roam free and have his best game as a pro with 11 solo tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble. Stephon Tuitt and Cameron Heyward were dominant, and made life absolutely miserable for 49er starting guards Jordan Devey and Alex Boone in particular. Tuitt would finish with 1.5 sacks and Heyward would add a sack to his six tackles.
• How about the aggressive play calling? Head coach Mike Tomlin would twice go for two-point conversions and the Steelers converted both. After struggling in the red zone and having some questionable play calls against New England, offensive coordinator Todd Haley seemed to push all the right buttons, helping the Steeler offense go five for five in red zone conversions.
Defensive coordinator Keith Butler and his group were able to bounce back in a big way by doing a masterful job of stopping the 49ers running attack, forcing quarterback Colin Kaepernick to attempt to pass from the pocket. Though Kaepernick was able to amass 335 passing yards and two TDs in the game, much of the damage was done with the Steelers holding a huge lead.
Three Down:
• Coming off a tough debut, Steeler kicker Josh Scobee did little to endear himself to the home crowd when his first extra point attempt clanged off the left upright for a miss. His second PAT attempt barely squeezed inside that same left upright shortly after, and there has to be some concern about the overall psyche after the first two weeks. Scobee did convert three of four extra point attempts for the game, but if he continues to be shaky, there could be more concern as to whether or not he can get the job done.
• It’s becoming clear that Shamarko Thomas and Brandon Boykin are not carving out roles for themselves in the Steelers secondary. Thomas did not see a defensive snap and despite of Cortez Allen being inactive with a knee injury, Boykin barely played and was passed over for Ross Cockrell, a street free agent signed just two weeks ago.
The Steeler secondary leaned on Willie Gay and Antwon Blake as starters at corner with Cockrell seeing duty at nickel. Robert Golden was the third safety while Will Allen clearly has supplanted Thomas as the staring free safety.
Considering the belief that Thomas was going to be a big part of the Steelers secondary in 2015 and a fifth-round pick was used to acquire Boykin just over a month ago, it’s not a good look for player personnel director Kevin Colbert.
• Am I the only one that is starting to wonder how much longer Dri Archer will have a roster spot with the Steelers? Sure, it was not his fault that he was unable to prove his meddle as a kick returner against the 49ers because each kickoff was a touchback, but he’s not getting any play on offense either.
With such a high percentage of kickoffs going for touchbacks and recently acquired reserve tailback Jordan Todman getting some telling praise from Tomlin earlier this week along with late playing time against the Niners, one would have to wonder if Archer might be in danger of getting waived once Bell returns to the lineup for next Sunday’s match up against the St. Louis Rams.
Photo credit: Pittsburgh Post Gazette
