Over the past four seasons, the Steelers have posted a 25-7 record in the second half of the season.
That's one of the big reasons the team feels so good about its 6-2 start to this season. For a team that has shown itself capable of getting better as the season goes on in recent years, a quick start - including winning its past three - makes this season feel as if the Steelers are playing with house money the rest of the year.
"We know that we can get on a roll," said defensive end Stephon Tuitt.
"We’re 6-2 going into the bye week," added nose tackle Javon Hargrave. "We’re sitting pretty good as a team. But we’ve got a lot to get better moving on."
Where can that improvement come from? We'll take a look at that here:
1. Score more TDs in the red zone.
Sounds easy, right?
The Steelers have made 29 trips inside the opposing 20. Only the Rams (31) and Patriots (34) have been better at moving the ball into the opponents' red zone.
But the Steelers rank 30th in scoring touchdowns once they get inside the 20, with a percentage of 41.4.
"I know the red area is a hot topic," Todd Haley said. "But we've been in there more than most teams, third-most in the league. I gave the example to the guys last week. Detroit was third in the league in the red zone (scoring) but had only been in there 15 times. They had scored 75 points. We've scored the third-most points. The bottom line is get in there as much as you can. We've got a very good kicker. You want to finish with touchdowns. You're not always going to be able to do that. You're not always going to want to take the risk that comes with that."
To that point, the Steelers have scored on 27 of their 29 trips inside the red zone, so they are putting points on the board. But they've been overly reliant on Chris Boswell in many of those situations.
Ben Roethlisberger has completed just 14 of 33 passes inside the 20. Six of those throws have gone for touchdowns, but the Steelers have had some issues with receivers dropping passes or Roethlisberger missing them when open.
Many fans feel it is a matter of not running the ball enough when they get in close. But Le'Veon Bell actually leads the NFL in red zone rushing attempts with 38, 14 more than the next-closest player. He has gained 99 yards and scored five times - tied for the league lead - on those carries.
"It's all about execution," Maurkice Pouncey told DKPittsburghSports.com. "We've got to do a better job when we get down there. We can't miss a block here or drop a pass there."
But who they have been working against matters, as well. Six of the Steelers' first eight opponents are ranked in the top 10 in overall defense. Four of their first-half opponents - Cincinnati, Baltimore, Jacksonville and Minnesota - are ranked in the top 5 in red zone defense.
"We just want to keep making sure we get in there and not giving points away by sacking ourselves out of field goal range, but turning the ball over and doing some of the things that really hurt you," Haley said. "Our mindset is that if we get in there a bunch, keep doing the things we have to do and execute, it will work out the right way."
2. Get healthy, stay healthy.
While other teams around the league have lost key players for the season, the Steelers have avoided any major injuries.
That does not mean, however, they haven't had some injury issues.
Five starters have combined to miss 12 games, including four each by right tackle Marcus Gilbert and Tuitt. Guard Ramon Foster, safety Mike Mitchell and outside linebackers Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt each have missed one. The injuries have come at some positions - offensive line, defensive line and outside linebacker - where the team has very good depth. Gilbert, Tuitt and tight end Vance McDonald, a part-time starter, have missed the team's past two games. All should be back when the Steelers begin the second half Nov. 12 at Indianapolis.
"It's been a frustrating start to the season," admitted Tuitt.
It could be far worse.
Second-half opponents such as Green Bay and Houston have lost their starting quarterbacks, Aaron Rodgers and DeShaun Watson, respectively, for the remainder of the season. Others, such as New England, will be without key players such as receiver Julian Edelman and linebacker Donta Hightower. Houston also has lost three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt for the season, as well.
You get the idea. The Steelers need to avoid the big injuries that have dogged them in the playoffs, most notably in each of the previous three seasons to Bell.
Bell leads the NFL in touches with 229 (194 carries, 35 receptions), putting him on pace for the second-most in league history in a single season. The Steelers have sprinkled rookie James Conner and power back Terrell Watson in at times, but Bell has carried a heavy load.
"James has shown some good things as a runner," Haley admitted. "Protection-wise, he’s had a couple little slip-ups that are things we can’t have happen. (Protecting) the quarterback is the No. 1 thing, and those guys have to be 100-percent sharp from a protection standpoint. But he’s working every day, working hard and getting better."
It would benefit the Steelers greatly if Conner can pick up on that sooner rather than later.
3. Take care of business.
Everyone likes to project a team's record when the schedule comes out in the spring. But, as we've seen again this year, that's a fruitless endeavor.
Injuries, progression and regression and good or bad fortune play a huge part of each NFL season. Hence, the Steelers' first half likely played out with the 6-2 record that many felt they would have if things worked out. But the wins and losses probably weren't where anyone thought they might come. The Steelers got big road wins at Baltimore and Kansas City, two of the tougher venues in the league. They lost at Chicago and at home to Jacksonville.
And before you run out the old, tired "Mike Tomlin's teams lose to bad teams," you can check that at the door.
What's a bad team? Were the 2015 Chiefs a bad team when the Steelers lost to them? Kansas City entered that game with a 1-5 record. They finished that season 11-5. Miami was similar last season, and the Jaguars could be a very similar team this year.
Besides, things that happened in previous years have nothing to do with this one. Why bring up a loss from four seasons ago when 75 percent of the roster has turned over since? Certainly, the loss in Chicago was a bad one, but when you muff a punt deep in your own end and also have a field goal blocked and have those things turn into 10 points - and it should have been 14 - it's going to be difficult to overcome.
Looking at the second half, the Steelers can't afford any more slip-ups if they want home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
They play five of their final eight games at home after going 4-1 on the road in the first half. Heading into the weekend, the Steelers' opponents in the first half were a combined 29-32. Four had a .500 record or better.
Things look a lot easier in the second half. The Steelers' second half opponents were 26-34 before Week 9 and the three road games are against Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Houston, who have a combined 8-14 record.
4. Keep improving on defense.
Despite allowing 482 yards at Detroit in a 20-15 win in their final game before the break, the Steelers rank fourth in total and second in scoring defense. They also are second in passing yards allowed and in the top five in sacks.
Joe Haden has been a welcome addition to the secondary, while players such as Hargrave, corner Artie Burns and safety Sean Davis have made a big leap in their second seasons.
But it hasn't been perfect. The team is 16th in rushing yards allowed and has twice given up more than 200 yards in a game - in losses to Jacksonville and Chicago.
"We can still play better," Dupree told me. "We haven't reached our peak yet. We're still missing too many tackles and leaving plays on the field."
Getting Tuitt back certainly could help that. The Steelers gave him a five-year, $60 million contract extension at the end of training camp only to see him miss time with arm and back injuries. He has the potential to be their most disruptive player -- if he can stay on the field.
"He is primed to have a good year but we all have to keep growing," said defensive coordinator Keith Butler. "Our whole defense has to keep growing. We can’t get snagged. So, we have to keep playing and I think we have an opportunity to be good."
That they do. And they have a chance to be good enough to represent the AFC in Minneapolis in the Super Bowl.
But there is still work to be done.
