The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading into their Week 4 matchup with the Houston Texans carrying some positive momentum. The team has won two games in a row, bouncing back nicely from their embarrassing season-opening defeat at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers.
In the two weeks since they have defeated the Cleveland Browns and Las Vegas Raiders. Those victories have not come easy, as the Steelers have had to overcome injuries to key players and ineffectiveness offensively.
But, a win is a win as they all count the same on the record. Right now, the Steelers’ record says they are 2-1, tied for the lead atop the uber-competitive AFC North. But, head coach Mike Tomlin knows that the job is far from finished.
While having a winning record at this point in the season is nice, there is still work to be done. The Steelers head coach provided an honest assessment of his team after the first three weeks and likes the direction in which they are heading.
“I just feel like we’re getting better in all areas,” Tomlin said, via Ray Fittipaldo. “Our business is to win games, no doubt. In the pursuit of those victories you have to build, and it just feels like we’re getting better.”
There is certainly a lot that the team can work on in the coming weeks. Right now, they are 24th in PFF rankings with an overall grade of 67.7, which is tied with the Los Angeles Chargers. Almost all of their issues can be tied to the offensive side of the ball as their 54.0 offensive grade is the lowest in the NFL.
A lot of the blame has been placed on the offensive coordinator, Matt Canada, and with good reason. His game plan, schemes and play calling have been suspect, at best, through three weeks. While he can stand to improve, there is only so much he can do when the offensive line is struggling as much as they are.
Despite dumping a ton of assets into the unit, the Steelers offensive line is among the worst in the NFL currently. They are 29th in run-blocking with a grade of 51.0 and dead last with a pass-blocking grade of 28.7. Superman would struggle to produce behind an offensive line like that.
The Steelers’ defense remains an upper-echelon unit on the back of an elite pass rush, which is a big reason they are 2-1 right now and not 0-3. If the team can continue building and getting better as Tomlin is preaching, they are going to be a dangerous team come playoff time.
