By Logan Leslie
SteelerNation.com
5. Balance on Offense
At times last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers became very reliant on the pass. In 10 out of 16 games, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw the ball 40 or more times. In comparison, Tom Brady of the New England Patriots threw the ball over 40 times in only 4 out of 16 games. With a healthy James Conner, a season under the belt of Jaylen Samuels, and a promising rookie in Benny Snell, the team should have an exceptional running attack. Without All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown, the passing game is bound to have a slight drop off. With a more balanced game plan, we may see longer offensive drives and less fatigue on defense.
4. Limiting Penalties
Last season, the Steelers committed 111 penalties for 1,026 yards which was the third most penalty yards in the league. The team struggled most with defensive pass interference penalties with 11 total. That was good for third most in the NFL. It will be imperative they become more disciplined and lessen the penalties. On offense, 3rd and 20 will be a lot harder without AB on the field.
3. Improved Secondary Play
Cornerback Artie Burns struggled mightily to begin last season, eventually losing his starting role to Coty Sensabaugh. Sensabaugh proved himself to be an upgrade over Burns, but still allowed too many big plays in crucial situations.
Enter Steven Nelson, the Steelers top free agent signing this off-season and a Pro-bowl caliber CB. With Nelson now opposite Joe Haden, and Sean Davis looking to build upon a strong 2018 campaign alongside an improved Terrell Edmunds, the secondary could be a point of strength for the Steelers in 2019.
2. Holding Late Game Leads
Last season was the season of blown leads. The losses to the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders and New Orleans Saints were all games where the Steelers held the lead in the 4th quarter. They also held a 14 point lead in the 4th quarter during the Week 1 tie to the Cleveland Browns.
We need to hope the more balanced 2019 team on both sides of the ball will decrease the blown leads to zero. All of the above keys to success would greatly increase their late game success.
1. Stay Out of the Headlines
There is no doubt that over the last few years, an argument could be made that the Steelers were the most dramatic team in all of sports. We constantly saw our team in the headlines for the wrong reasons with no shortage of off-the-field drama. We had Le'Veon Bell's contract demands, absence from the team, social media posts, and all of his terrible music. We've also had a heavy dose of Antonio Brown temper tantrums, incomprehensible social media posts, trade demands, and some hilarious anniversary wedding shout outs.
Despite Roethlisberger also having been a producer of drama, the two main culprits have moved on to other cities and we are very likely to see a refocused team in 2019. Many media personalities have picked the Steelers as dark horse Super Bowl picks for this reason. There is no doubt the team will be out for redemption and looking to prove they can have success in life after Bell and Brown.
Agree or disagree? What do you think our main keys to success in 2019 should focus on? Let us know in the comment section below!
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