The 21/22 Steelers could not go into season 70 of RZ thinking they’d be anything but a work in progress. Well that is unless they had a little more research to do… With one of the league's lowest rated offensive lines and a quarterback that probably should have called it quits last season they knew it wins will have to be hard earned this season. One game into the new league year it is clear that there is a light at the end of a very long dark tunnel.
The Good:
The Steeler defense was able to grab 4 sacks and force 2 interceptions against a solid Bills team. They were also able to hold the Bills running in check for the entire contest. Outside of some chuck passing plays and allowing a lot of YAC yards the defense can hold their heads up high.
Rookie Najee Harris looked solid in his NFL debut. He held up well throughout the game but had a 30 yard scamper called back on an Eric Ebron hold. With that play included the rookie could have gotten to that magic 100 yard number.
The Bad:
Inaccurate quarterback play from Cam Newton had a huge impact on the game. Cam’s inaccuracy led to a number of missed day balls to JuJu Smith-Schuster with the defender beaten deep. 8 completions isn’t going to make it anywhere unless your running game is moving like a hot knife through butter.
Penalties, with a team like the 2021-22 Steelers, can not happen. Especially in critical situations that turn 3rd and shorts into 3rd and longs. When big plays from an offense are few and far between they can’t happen. Coach Ambers states, “If another team smacks us in the mouth and we lose I can accept that, but when we beat ourselves I can’t live with that”.
The Steelers hope to rebound week two against Las Vegas, but the question is do they stick with Superman or bring in Big Ben for one last ride.