Steelers biggest games of the season so far
Even given the unanimous expectation they would romp through the division and make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, the Steelers are ahead of schedule for the 2017 season.
After being pegged to win “only” around 10 games in the preseason, Nate Silver’s latest projections now have Pittsburgh on pace for 12 wins and already as a 96% lock to win the AFC North. This favorable situation hasn’t come without its hiccups. But in spite of the offensive struggles, the Steelers’ resolve in these big wins (and one important loss) has us eagerly awaiting January.
October 29: Steelers 20, Lions 15
Great teams survive crazy games, and Pittsburgh did just that in a Week 8 weird-one at Ford Field. Although Le’Veon Bell scored the lone touchdown of the first half, it was Detroit taking a 12-10 lead into the break thanks to four Matt Prater field goals and two Pittsburgh turnovers in Lions territory.
The second half went similarly, with each offense rolling but having little to show for it. Pittsburgh finally managed to break things open when Roethlisberger hit a wide-open JuJu Smith-Schuster for a 97-yard touchdown that gave the Steelers a 20-12 lead. The Lions continued to rack up the yards (482 on the day), but not when it mattered most: on a late 4th-and-7 situation inside the red zone, Travis Swanson forced an errant throw from Stafford that landed incomplete and allowed the Steelers to move on to 6-2.
October 15: Steelers 19, Chiefs 13
The Chiefs were the NFL’s last remaining unbeaten heading into Week 6, but the Steelers went into Arrowhead and took down the defending AFC West champs. Bell put forth an inspired 179-yard performance, including a second quarter touchdown that gave Pittsburgh an early 9-3 lead. KC made things tight on a long fourth quarter touchdown strike, but Big Ben quickly responded with one of his own. A tipped pass on third and two landed in the hands of Antonio Brown, who raced into the end zone for a 51-yard score that put Pittsburgh back up nine with 3:24 to play.
But ultimately, the defense was the difference maker. Chiefs’ rookie starlet Kareem Hunt was held to 21 yards on nine carries, and the secondary shut down KC’s receivers so effectively that Hunt was also their leading receiver on the day (five catches for 89 yards). The rush took down Alex Smith three times, including once on the Chief’s final drive that forced a do-or-die 4th and 18. That failed to convert and Pittsburgh escaped with a huge road win.
October 8: Jaguars 30, Steelers 9
The first Jags series win since 2008 is one Steelers fans will be quick to forget, but it may have served a major turning point in Pittsburgh’s campaign. The Steelers’ held a 7-6 lead heading into halftime, but things went off the rails quickly when Big Ben threw two pick-sixes in the third quarter. A field goal extended the Jags’ lead to 23-9 in the ninth, followed by a 90-yard TD from Leonard Fournette to dot the eye in the 30-9 blowout.
The silver lining: since then, opponents have scored an average of 15.2 points per game as part of a 16.2/game season average that is second best in the league. Ben’s career-worst five picks also seemed to have been a revelatory experience for him, as he’s thrown just two total since the Week 5 debacle. It also marked the last time Pittsburgh lost against the spread at home, meaning fans that like to bet on the Steelers at Heinz at online sportsbooks like the ones shown at OnlineGambling.com are having a doubly great year.
October 1: Steelers 26, Ravens 9
Although it was Pittsburgh’s first win in Baltimore since 2012, this drubbing more importantly served as a coming out party for a Steelers offense that struggled with consistency issues up until to this point, scoring just six touchdowns in 12 quarters.
Bell ignited things going with a short score in the second quarter as part of a 144-yard, two TD day. Roethlisberger still showed some kinks but added a TD and 216 yards of his own as part of a 381-yard performance that was a big improvement for the recently-impotent offense. On the other side of the ball, Blitzburgh was a nightmare for Joe Flacco, sacking him four times and forcing two picks in the big divisional win.
September 17: Steelers 26, Vikings 9
A Week 1 scare against Cleveland may have tempered some Yinz expectations, but the Week 2 home opener against a Sam Bradford-less Minnesota allowed for at least a little righting of the ship. Pittsburgh scored touchdowns on their second and third drives of the day thanks to touchdown passes to Martavis Bryant and JuJu.
The offense somewhat stalled from there, settling for four second-half field goals. That was still more than needed given the performance put in by the D, however. Mike Hilton recorded what is still a season-high nine tackles while the group as a whole held Case Keenum’s offense to 146 passing yards and just 91 on the ground. This formidable win continues to look better every week, as Minnesota has lost just once since.
