Expect the unexpected when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers. A lot of people had them pegged as an average team last year, only for the team to end up with an 11-5 record and the AFC North title in hand. This 2015, though, Pittsburgh has the unenviable task of conquering the toughest schedule in the NFL with their opponents combining for a winning percentage of .578 from 2014.
Will the Steelers defy all odds yet again, including the +2,000 underdog line of them becoming the champions of Super Bowl 50? Read on as we get up-close with the Steelers’ offseason movements and their chances of extending their franchise’s legacy with a seventh Lombardi Trophy.
The AFC has more than just Pittsburgh as the team to beat this upcoming season. Check out our coverage on the two other elite contenders within the conference in the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts.
[sc:Football ]2015-2016 Pittsburgh Steelers Preview
Overview
After posting back-to-back 8-8 seasons, nobody expected the Pittsburgh Steelers to go 11-5 in 2014 with such offensive firepower. Pittsburgh has always been known for its impenetrable defense, but it seems as though the team is conforming to the times and have invested more in its aerial and ground attack.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Having Ben Roethlisberger as your quarterback certainly makes the transition of going offense-first much easier. The two-time Super Bowl winner had a banner year by posting career highs in passing yards (4,952), touchdowns (32) and completion percentage (67.1). He also only had nine interceptions for the year, rounding out an exemplary performance at the age of 32.
And yet, the Steelers failed to carry over their stellar play into the postseason. They fell to fellow division rivals the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the playoffs mainly because they didn’t have star running back Le’Veon Bell for that game to take some of the load off of Big Ben and the passing game.
Offseason Review
There’s no doubt that the Steelers will trot out the same potent offense from last year to this coming season. One of Roethlisberger’s main targets, Antonio Brown, placed a stamp of excellence in his role of wide receiver when he led the league last year in both receptions (129) and receiving yards (1,698).
Although he just stands at 5’11”, Brown makes up for his lack of height by being one of the league’s best route runners and has been very consistent in doing so to boot. He has not had a game of less than five receptions in all of his appearances for the past two seasons. It also helps that his fellow young wideouts Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton also played at a high level last year to take some of the opposing defense’s attention away from him.
Head coach Mike Tomlin’s sudden shift in having to focus on offensive production over defense couldn’t have come at a more opportune time as well. This offseason, the team lost three defensive players to retirements. Pittsburgh’s hard-hitting stalwart at safety Troy Polamalu had decided to call it a career, and so did cornerback Ike Taylor and linebacker Jason Worilds.
Not only that, but the Steelers also saw the departure of their coveted defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. LeBeau was the architect behind the Steel Curtain defense version 2.0 for the past decade, and he will be replaced by the Steelers’ linebacker coach from last season in Keith Butler.
Butler will have to work with a rather young but promising defensive lineup. Inside linebacker Ryan Shazier, for one, needs to bounce back from the injuries to his legs that cut his rookie campaign short of his potential. Pittsburgh’s first-round pick from this year’s draft in Bud Dupree will also likely get the starting nod at outside linebacker to provide more speed on the pass rush.
The Steelers also have a motivated Cameron Heyward – who tallied 7.5 sacks last year – ready to start at right defensive end after being given a lucrative extension. Veteran linebacker Lawrence Timmons, who in his eighth year in the league made the Pro Bowl for the first time this past 2014, will also be ready to wreak havoc for Steeler Nation.
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Key Player – Le’Veon Bell
Just two years in as a pro and Le’veon Bell is already being hailed as one of Pittsburgh’s greatest running backs of all time. Last season, Bell broke Pittsburgh’s single season franchise record of rushing yards from scrimmage with 2,115. He finished with 1,361 yards on the ground in 2014 and averaged a solid 4.7 yards per carry.
Furthermore, the then-sophomore out of Michigan State was fantastic in the passing game just as well. He broke both of the Steelers’ single-season franchise records for running backs in receptions (77) and receiving yards (774). To add, three of his 11 touchdowns for the season were caught and not ran in.
Sadly, Bell’s services will not be available for the first two games of the regular season due to his suspension for possession of marijuana. But make no mistake, Pittsburgh’s 2014 team MVP will get right back to business in Week 3 and put up crazy numbers for the prolific Steelers offense the rest of the season.
Key Game – at Baltimore (December 27)
Wouldn’t it be easier to declare all of the Steelers’ divisional matches as key games and apply that method to their other three rivals just the same?
We could also easily mark down the entire five-week stretch after their Week 11 bye as critical, but the tail-end of that ungodly string of games is a road game against the Baltimore Ravens. Before that, though, Pittsburgh must face Seattle on the Road in Week 12 then head back home to take on Indianapolis, jet back out to Cincinnati and finally return to Heinz Field to duke it out with Denver. Ouch.
Luckily, the Steelers drew New England in the opener (sans Brady) instead of being included in that late, brutal span of matches. If the team can pad up on wins during the relatively easier part of the first half of the season, they should still be in good form by at least getting just a win or two out of those four games after the bye.
That visit to Maryland against the Ravens, though, has playoff implications written all over it. The AFC North could very well be decided in that prime time game, and so could both Baltimore and Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes altogether. And of course, who could resist not watching the NFL’s most infamous and closely-contested rivalry especially if there’s so much more at stake this late into the season?
Best/Worst Case Scenario for the Season
Best Case Scenario
Big Ben and Antonio Brown pair-up once more to put up massive numbers in the passing game, and so does Le’Veon Bell on the ground. The defense holds firm in most games, and the Steelers reach the AFC Conference Championship. Unfortunately, either the Patriots or Colts end their postseason run.
Worst Case Scenario
Roethlisberger regresses big-time and goes back to his erratic form. The offensive line also can’t create the necessary holes for Bell to run through. The defense is just too inexperienced to contain the toughest of competitions. No worse than third in the crowded AFC North, but no ticket to the playoffs either.
Complete Schedule
| WEEK | DATE | OPPONENT | TIME (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thu, Sep 10 | @ New England | 8:30 PM |
| 2 | Sun, Sep 20 | San Francisco | 1:00 PM |
| 3 | Sun, Sep 27 | @ St. Louis | 1:00 PM |
| 4 | Thu, Oct 1 | Baltimore | 8:25 PM |
| 5 | Mon, Oct 12 | @ San Diego | 8:30 PM |
| 6 | Sun, Oct 18 | Arizona | 1:00 PM |
| 7 | Sun, Oct 25 | @ Kansas City | 1:00 PM |
| 8 | Sun, Nov 1 | Cincinnati | 2:00 PM |
| 9 | Sun, Nov 8 | Oakland | 2:00 PM |
| 10 | Sun, Nov 15 | Cleveland | 2:00 PM |
| 11 | Bye Week | ||
| 12 | Sun, Nov 29 | @ Seattle | 5:25 PM |
| 13 | Sun, Dec 6 | Indianapolis | 9:30 PM |
| 14 | Sun, Dec 13 | @ Cincinnati | 2:00 PM |
| 15 | Sun, Dec 20 | Denver | 5:25 PM |
| 16 | Sun, Dec 27 | @ Baltimore | 9:30 PM |
| 17 | Sun, Jan 3 | @ Cleveland | 2:00 PM |
Writer’s Prediction
Pittsburgh ekes out a second-straight division title with a 10-6 record, but fall in the divisional round of the playoffs to either one of the AFC’s other division winners.
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