The Pittsburgh Steelers have a critical stretch of games coming up against divisional rivals. The main concern that everyone is talking about is the offensive line, and if that does not get figured out, the 1-1 record could quickly turn into 1-3. If that ends up happening, it may be more than just the fans that start panicking. It doesn't help that the back half of the season is yet another brutal gauntlet for Pittsburgh. A win in Week 3 would go a long way for the organization.
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Mike McCarthy watches from the sideline during a Week 2 game against the Patriots.
There is not a lot of hope among fans and the media that the Steelers can turn this ship around. Even former players are having their doubts. In an interview with GoErie.com, Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw gave his thoughts on what's currently happening with the team.
"Not going to make it (to the playoffs) this year," Bradshaw said. "We’re praying for a miracle, but let’s be honest. It’s not going to happen."
With the reported lack of cohesion and communication in the trenches, it's hard to say that Bradshaw is wrong at this point. It's early in the season, but these kinds of issues typically don't get fixed quickly, even though it needs to happen as soon as possible. With how strong the AFC North is, dropping these early games makes it almost impossible to rebound and win the division.
The Steelers are not new to having slow starts, as it happened quite a few times under former head coach Mike Tomlin. However, those slow starts mostly turned into winning records and barely missing the playoffs, as opposed to being able to make a deep postseason run. Even with a new leader running the team, the Week 3 contest is about as must-win as a Week 3 contest can be.
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Former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin on the sidelines during a regular season matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Buffalo Bills.
There is also the question of how well new head coach Mike McCarthy can get everyone motivated and on the same page. Even for his struggles, Tomlin was one of one when it came to getting his players motivated and making them believe that they could beat anybody when things were at their lowest. It's hard to imagine that McCarthy can match him in that regard.
With all of those factors combined, it's easy to tell why Bradshaw would consider it "a miracle" that the Steelers make the playoffs. This is a tough division once again, and unless sudden drastic improvements are made, it does not look like Pittsburgh has the ability in the trenches to keep up with the likes of the Baltimore Ravens or the Cincinnati Bengals. Pittsburgh will live and die based off of how the offensive and defensive line play.
Steelers Will Be Relying Heavily On The Defense
The one piece of the puzzle that could help grant the Steelers this miracle is the defense. There are a couple issues here and there, but for the most part, this unit has played great. They have only allowed 13 points per game while racking up four takeaways and a defensive touchdown in two games. That side of the ball is the whole reason why Pittsburgh won in Week 1.
Tackling and interior defensive line play could be improved overall. Unlike the offensive line's issues, these are minor concerns that should not take too much time to figure out. The fundamentals have gotten much better with the new coaching staff, but they still have that same turnover culture that they have had in previous years, and it won't go away anytime soon.
If the offense can figure everything out, the Steelers will become a true threat. The defense has been playing great, so all Pittsburgh really needs to do is be decent at moving the ball forward and scoring to be in the playoff mix. With the struggles up front, however, that is a lot easier said than done. Defensively, this team can only do so much to help out.
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