By: Jonathan Clark
SteelerNation.com
This season has started out like no other. 10-0. Honestly, it could not have happened during a better year. All of the stories line up perfectly, hear me out. It’s Big Ben Roethlisberger's comeback year. He has taken this team from an 8-8 squad in 2019, to now a 10-0 squad with Super Bowl admirations in just one year so far, with minimal changes to the team as a whole. Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin, as we all know, was on the hot seat not too long ago due to the drama that surrounded the football team in prior years, but has now put himself in the Coach of the Year Award considerations two years in a row. It is a whole new and improved Steelers team, and they have all built a strong connection that helps build this winning culture. It just seems like all the pieces might just be adding up.
You would think that the record of this football team would be their sole focus right? I mean, they are 3.5 games up in the AFC North and a win this week can almost guarantee us the North crown once again, but that isn't the talk we hear around the Steelers team. All we have heard from Week 1 is that this team takes each week, one game at a time. We have heard from players such as Stephon Tuitt speak this week about how they have barely even spoken about this undefeated season they are on pace to capture. Stating that, "The goal is to make it to the Super Bowl, and the record we have to get there doesn't really matter."
What does that mean exactly? Whether the Steelers do end up going 16-0 or they end up going 13-3, the record they have does not matter if the end goal of winning the Lombardi Trophy does not get met. This mentality comes from the veteran presence that this football team has, mixed with the amount of youth that looks up to them. This team has completely rallied behind Roethlisberger, who is going into his 17th NFL season, in hopes of “winning for Ben”. It's clear that his leadership is what helps propel this team over the edge offensively, and without #7, this team is not where they are. The best part about that, is his teammates realize that and like I said, despite what would have happened in previous years, this 2020 Steelers squad rallies around that.
PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 20: James Conner #30 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates his touchdown with Ben Roethlisberger #7 during the first quarter agains the Denver Broncos at Heinz Field on September 20, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
As we all know, the best way to build team chemistry is to win, which is exactly why I think this defense has been able to be so consistent even for the past two seasons. Despite previous seasons, is it hard to find a single flaw on this Steelers defense. We finally look like we have our secondary positions taken care of, our linebacker position is finally picking up where it left off after the injury to Ryan Shazier and, of course, of the fearless defensive line, which has been the strongest point of this team for many years. This 2020 Steelers defense ranks first in total takeaways in both categories -- first in the NFL in interceptions with 15 and ranks first in the NFL with 38 sacks on the year. We are on pace to have three guys get over 10 sacks this year (Stephon Tuitt 7, Bud Dupree 9, T.J. Watt 9) and it hasn't even hit game 11 yet. That's a scary thought for the rest of the teams on our schedule to think about.
The mindset that this coaching staff and players are in right now is when championships are won. When the sole focus is hoisting that Lombardi to the city that you represent in the last game of the NFL season, making all that hard work you just went through, worth it in the end, and for the right to call yourself a Super Bowl Champion. I could care less about the 16-0 record, I just want a 7th ring.
Predict the Steelers overall record at the end of the 2020 season! Comment below!
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