The Pittsburgh Steelers are the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL. Pittsburgh might not be a perfect team on paper, but there’s no denying they are back. Ben Roethlisberger has returned from the injury that sidelined him for most of the 2019 season and promptly put Pittsburgh back in the Super Bowl conversation.
Big Ben looks as good as ever. You would never be able to tell that he’s 38 or coming off a significant elbow injury. Roethlisberger is completing 68.2% of his throws, which is a career-high. Roethlisberger also sports a 13-4 TD to INT and is merely playing the way he did back in 2018. A year where he was an MVP candidate.
A big credit of the resurgence should be directed towards general manager Kevin Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin. Colbert has drafted very well, and Tomlin continues to develop every player put in front of him. Antonio Brown, who? Le’Veon Bell, who? James Conner, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, and Chase Claypool are a hell of a set of weapons. All of whom are homegrown and cheap.
The offensive line has also been a major plus, but that’s old news. This offensive line has been one of the best in the league for a long time. Kevin Dotson has been under the radar filling in. Roethlisberger has been sacked just eight times on the season.
The front seven of the Steelers is scary. They are generating a pass rush better than anybody. Pro Football Outsiders has the Steelers as the best defensive front in football. TJ Watt is arguably the most unstoppable pass rusher in the sport with 5.5 sacks. Bud Dupree is also a baller sporting five sacks himself.
The Devin Bush injury is a crushing blow, but there’s a lot of talent on this defense. Cam Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Joe Haden provide star power. The Bush injury hurts, but they still have DUDES on this defense.
Nothing about the Steelers is perfect. Big Ben and Mike Tomlin both have their flaws. They don’t even have a truly elite offensive player. However, all of the pieces fit together, and they play real defense in a league with very little of it. The Steelers belong back in the Super Bowl conversation for the first time in a long time.
