Fans might be ready to cash in their chips on the 2021 season after the Steelers' 1-3 start.
The team itself? Not so much.
In fact, this isn't the first time they've started slowly in recent seasons. They started 1-4 in 2019, then rallied to win seven of their next eight games despite not having Ben Roethlisberger and being forced to rely on Mason Rudolph and Duck Hodges at quarterback.
A three-game losing streak at the end of the season after the wheels finally came off their quarterback situation left them at 8-8 and out of the playoffs, but if the Steelers weren't going to quit that season -- with their starting quarterback sidelined because of an elbow injury -- they certainly aren't going to do so this year, either.
"It's still early. Everyone is panicked, crazy, acting like we lost every single game and everything like that," said Minkah Fitzpatrick. "The first year I got here, we had the same record, we were 1-3, 1-4. We were making plays and everything like that, but this is a progression. You've got to build. We haven't done what we wanted to do, but we've got to build on what we're doing and keep stacking good games on top of each other. There's no panic mode. I'm not frustrated about our record. I'm frustrated by the way that we're playing."
The Steelers made a trade with the Dolphins for Fitzpatrick after losing Roethlisberger for the season following a Week 2 loss to the Seahawks in 2019. And it took the team a couple of games for things to click. But once they did, the defense took off.
There hasn't been a big in-season trade like that this time around, but the Steelers do have a feeling their struggling offense is starting to find some traction. With four of the next five games at home and a bye week also tucked in there, now would be a good time to do so.
"We know it’s early. We’ve played some good football teams and we feel like we’re making some progress," Roethlisberger said. "We just have to find a way, at the end of the game, have a W on the board. You can play well and all those things and get better, but at the end of the day, you wanna win the football game. That’s what we have to do, and it starts this week at home against a good team."
That would be the Broncos (3-1), who travel to Heinz Field with some issues of their own. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater suffered a concussion at the end of the first half in Denver's 23-7 loss and is questionable to play. He'll need to clear concussion protocol before doing so. Roethlisberger also was banged up this week with a hip contusion but will play.
That could mean both teams could attempt to rely more on their running games which feature two of the top three running backs taken in this year's draft, Najee Harris for the Steelers and Javonte Williams for the Broncos. Harris leads all rookies with 363 total yards, while Williams is fourth with 236. But Williams also is in a pure timeshare. He splits carries with veteran Melvin Gordon.
Harris got off to a slow start, but has had more than 90 total yards in each of his last two games.
"I say every week we get better," said Harris, who had 62 rushing yards on 15 carries in a 27-17 loss to the Packers last week. "Last week was probably one of our better weeks that we had in the run game. We're all just learning, slowly getting there, but I feel confident in the line and what they do and (offensive line) coach (Adrian) Klemm and how he's coaching them. We just got to show it now."
That won't be easy against the Broncos, who are allowing just 70 yards rushing per game. Denver's run defense has been so good, the Ravens had to have quarterback Lamar Jackson run a play on the final snap of the game to go over 100 yards and keep their streak of 43 consecutive games with at least 100 yards alive -- tying the 1974-1977 Steelers for the all-time record.
"Yeah, I thought it was kind of (BS), but I expected it from them," Denver coach Vic Fangio said. "Thirty-seven years in pro ball, I’ve never seen anything like that, but it was to be expected and we expected it."
But even if the Steelers get their running game going, they'll still need better play out of Roethlisberger and the passing game. Roethlisberger has four touchdown passes and four interceptions this season, as the Steelers have struggled to score. They're one of just two teams who have yet to score more than 17 offensive points in a game this season.
It's led to some calls for the 39-year-old quarterback to be benched. But the Steelers aren't anywhere near doing that.
"Absolutely," Tomlin said when asked if he's confident in Roethlisberger. "What he does and what he's done makes me really comfortable in saying that."
Roethlisberger believes in himself, as well.
"I know that I can play better football. I believe in myself. I know that no matter what’s going on, I’m going to fight my butt off to get a win," Roethlisberger said. "If that’s the way that I need to lead right now, by showing these guys that I’m gonna do everything I can to win a football game, then I’ll keep doing that."
Whatever they need to do. The Steelers aren't worried about style points. They're not concerned about power rankings or posting big numbers.
They just want a win -- now.
"All of our mistakes can be fixed and fixed on the field. It's not just me saying, 'do this, do that.' You have to lead by example and make sure we take care of what we can on the field," Cam Heyward said. "I'm urgent after every time we lose. Nothing changes."
THE ESSENTIALS
• Who: Steelers (1-3) vs. Broncos (3-1)
• When: 1:02 p.m. Sunday
• Where: Heinz Field
• Forecast: 78°, 8% rain, 8-mph wind
• TV: WPGH, Fox (national)
• Radio: 102.5 WDVE, ESPN Pittsburgh
• Streaming: Steelers Nation Radio
• Satellite: Sirius XM 385, online 826
• Media notes: Steelers | Broncos
THE INJURY REPORT
Steelers: DT Carlos Davis (knee, out), OL Rashaad Coward (ankle, out), CB Cam Sutton (groin, out), WR James Washington (groin, out)
Broncos: TE Albert Okwuebunam (hamstring, out), QB Teddy Bridgewater (concussion, questionable), RB Melvin Gordon (leg, questionable), WR Diontae Spencer (chest, questionable), CB Patrick Surtain III (chest, questionable), WR Courtland Sutton (ankle, questionable)
THE KEY VARIABLE
Few teams know more about how a dominant pass rusher can affect a game than the Steelers. In Von Miller, the Broncos have one of the best edge rushers of this generation.
Miller missed all of last season with an ankle injury, but has returned this season with a vengeance. The 32-year-old has 4.5 sacks -- giving him 110.5 for his career -- and leads the NFL with seven tackles for a loss.
Needless to say, the Steelers, who have had issues protecting Roethlisberger, are cognizant of the threat Miller poses.
"He's very disruptive," said Harris, who could be tasked with helping to chip Miller. "I think everybody in the world knows about Von Miller and he can bring to the game, disrupting a lot of offensive plays. He's a good player. We obviously have got to do something to kind of stop him. We're trying to put together a plan to slow him down, but we're going to see when the game comes."
Roethlisberger has been sacked 10 times and hit 18 times in four games. At 39, his mobility isn't what it used to be. And behind a young, inexperienced offensive line that is taking baby steps toward getting better, that's not been good enough thus far. He'll get right tackle Chuks Okorafor back this week. Okorafor, who held Miller without a sack as a rookie in his first career start in 2018, missed last week's game with a concussion.
The Steelers know they have to be better up front -- soon.
"There was no real telling how long it would take for us to be where we need to be," Klemm said. "We're young, but we've played a few games. We've got a lot of reps. I thought we saw some improvement last week. We didn't do enough to win the game. We could still be a little cleaner."
The Broncos have 11 overall sacks, with Miller accounting for nearly half that total. Watt has five of the Steelers' eight sacks despite missing a full game and half of another.
Needless to say, there are some similarities between the two outside linebackers. Both have the ability to take over a game. And both had a passion for it that drives them.
Both the Steelers and Broncos will be counting on their guy to get that done -- and their respective offensive lines to make sure that doesn't happen to them.
"One of the things that I think about when I think about him is we had an opportunity to coach him several years back at the Pro Bowl in Orlando, and his passion for football during the course of the week really struck me," Tomlin said. "He loves to talk it. He just does. He loves the game. Practice settings in a Pro Bowl setting, he brought energy to it. The science of rushing the passer is something that he's into. His football intellect is on the ceiling, and you couple that with his freakish talents and that's why he's in the midst of the type of career that he's built. And he's also having that type of 2021 season.
"So yes, we're going to do some things to hopefully minimize his impact on the game, but yes, he sees those things week in and week out. He's got flexibility in terms of what side of the line and so forth that he plays on, etc, making him a tough nut to crack. He provides a wave that the rest of the group rides."
T.J. Watt is the same type of player for the Steelers. And it's not a stretch to say that the star edge rusher who affects the game the most will be a major factor in which team wins this game.
It's a lot of pressure on one player on an 11-man defense, but it's something to which Watt and Miller have become accustomed.
They won't be on the field at the same time, but each knows they'll both be the focal point of the other team's offensive attack. They're also both fans of the game -- and each other.
"I respect his relentless pursuit to the ball," Miller said of Watt, the 2020 NFL sack leader. "I remember seeing a couple of plays I think two years ago where it wasn't even about pass rush or getting tackles for loss or in the run. He would chase the ball down 20 yards down the field and cause a fumble. That was something that I wanted to put in my game — relentless pursuit to the ball. Everybody is good in this league. Anybody's best rush is good enough to be All-Pro, but how good is your bad? How good (are you) when they complete passes? How good do you look on those plays?
"Watt looks good on all of those plays. He's able to run down the ball and play the run. T.J. Watt is a (heck) of a player. I was able to spend time with him at the Pro Bowl a couple of times. (I have) huge respect for him and his game."
THE HISTORY LESSON
In 1988, the Steelers beat the Cowboys, 24-21, in their season opener. They then lost their next six games to fall to 1-6 with the Broncos coming to town.
That's where today's history lesson takes us.
The Steelers were not a consistently good team in the '80s as they tried to rebuild their roster after the great run in the 1970s.
By 1988, they were mired in a streak that had seen them miss the playoffs in each of the previous three seasons as they struggled to a 21-27 record. But things would get worse -- far worse -- before they would get better.
While they scored 24 points in the opener and 29 in a Week 2 loss to Washington and 28 in a Week 4 loss to the Bills, the Steelers were offensively challenged. Starting quarterbacks Bubby Brister and Todd Blackledge both failed to complete 50 percent of their passes for the season, while leading rusher Merril Hoge finished with 705 yards.
The Steelers rolled into the game against the Broncos having scored 9, 14 and 14 points in their previous three games, and it didn't appear they would be much of a challenge for the Broncos, even with backup Gary Kubiak starting in place of injured John Elway.
But the Steelers defense had a field day against Kubiak and company, picking him off three times before he was pulled in favor of Ken Karcher in the fourth quarter.
The Steelers built a 27-0 halftime lead, as Rodney Carter scored on a 64-yard run and Blackledge added a 1-yard plunge in the first quarter. A pair of Gary Anderson field goals and a Carter touchdown reception from Blackledge finished off the first-half scoring.
Kubiak threw a touchdown pass to Clarence Kay in the third quarter to finally put the Broncos on the board, but Anderson kicked three more field goals to extend the lead to 36-7.
Kay caught his second touchdown pass of the game from Kubiak in the fourth quarter before being pulled in favor of Karcher, who connected on a 74-yard bomb to Ricky Nattiel to pull the Broncos within shouting distance at 36-21.
But Anderson added a fifth field goal to give the Steelers the 39-21 win, their second of the season while dropping the Broncos, who had won their past three games, to 4-4.
Blackledge only completed 9 of 17 passes for 129 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, but the Steelers rushed for 256 yards as Carter had 11 carries for 105 yards and Hoge 21 for 94. Hoge also led the team with four receptions for 66 yards.
Kubiak threw for 157 yards and Karcher 128, but Tony Dorsett was limited to 24 yards rushing on 11 attempts as Denver managed just 45 yards on the ground.
Brian Hinkle, Cornell Gowdy and Rod Woodson had interceptions for the Steelers, who would lose their next four games after the win to fall to 2-10 before winning three of their final four games.
GETTY
The Broncos' Melvin Gordon.
THE MAIN MATCHUP
The Broncos are playing the style of football the Steelers had hoped to produce this season with a stout defense helped by a strong rushing attack.
Only instead of simply relying on one back as the Steelers have done with Harris, the Broncos added Williams early in the second round of this year's draft to pair with former 1,000-yard rusher Gordon.
So far, so good.
Gordon and Williams have split the snaps nearly 50-50 in the Denver backfield and rushing attempts, as well. Gordon has 51 carries for 248 yards, Williams 46 for 186.
Gordon's numbers are a little skewed thanks to a 70-yard run in Week 1, but they've been a nice 1-2 punch as the Broncos are averaging 121.8 rushing yards per game and holding onto the ball for an average of 34:10. Only the Panthers and Browns are possessing the ball more.
"Their best players are their running backs. They are pretty good," Keith Butler said. "Javonte Williams, in particular, is very strong. He’s got legs; he carries people a lot. They’re gonna use that. If I was them, I’d use him and their running game. Their running game is very good."
And it leads to good defense. The Broncos already had a lot of talent on defense, particularly in the defensive backfield, but they're second in the league allowing 12.3 points per game and fourth in total defense.
The Steelers are struggling offensively, averaging just 16.8 points per game, and the defensive players know if they allow the Broncos to run the ball effectively as they did last week against the Packers, when they allowed a season-high 133 yards on the ground, they could be in for a long game.
But if they stop the run, this could turn into a field position game.
"Versus good teams like Denver, they have a stout defense that causes a lot of turnovers and their offense really takes care of the ball so that's a recipe for success for them," said Heyward. "But we've got to make them uncomfortable. Give them some longer downs where they've got to take chances."
Teddy Bridgewater is coming off a concussion suffered last week against the Ravens, but is expected to return for this game. He's thrown just one interception this season and typically takes good care of the football.
But the Steelers, who have just eight sacks and three forced turnovers this season, feel they can create more of those splash-type plays -- if they can stop the run.
That won't be easy with two-third of their starting defensive line out with Tyson Alualu and Stephon Tuitt both on injured reserve. Despite those losses, the Steelers are allowing just 3.7 yards per carry and and 99 yards rushing per game.
But they know they can be better. They had seven sacks in a 26-21 win over the Broncos at Heinz Field last season.
"It’s harder. Yeah," Butler admitted. "We’d like to get Tuitt back as soon as we can. (Alualu) was a good player for us and we feel bad that we lost him. Those guys that are playing for him, they’ve got to step up for us. The more they play, the better they should get. If we can do that, then we’ll be OK."
THE TEN DATA POINTS
• The Steelers are averaging 3.9 yards per play on first down, 31st in the NFL. Only the Bears have been worse.
• The Steelers are 0-5 on fourth down attempts this season.
• The Steelers have scored five offensive touchdowns this season. The Broncos have allowed five offensive touchdowns and a 102-yard kickoff return. The Broncos have allowed just six red zone trips this season, the fewest in the NFL.
• The Steelers' first four opponents are a combined 12-4 heading into Week 4. Denver's first four opponents are a combined 5-11, with the Ravens, who beat the Broncos 23-7 last week, holding three of those victories.
• The Broncos have allowed 12 sacks this season on 132 pass attempts, a sack rate of 8.3 sacks per 100 passes thrown. Roethlisberger's sack rate is 5.6.
• The Broncos have fumbled three times while running the ball, third-most in the NFL, but have yet to lose a fumble.
• Rookie left tackle Dan Moore is the Steelers' only offensive player other than Roethlisberger to play every snap this season.
• Just 86 of Harris' 185 rushing yards have come before contact. He is averaging 1.8 yards after contact. He has broken six tackles on rushing attempts. Harris has seven broken tackles on receptions. The Steelers have 11 broken tackles in the passing game as a team.
• How much has Harris been used as a receiver behind the line of scrimmage? He has 194 yards after the catch despite having 178 receiving yards.
• Roethlisberger is 16 of 25 for 173 yards when utilizing play-action through four games, but has been sacked three times in those situations. He was 26 of 48 for 234 yards and one touchdown in 2020 utilizing play-action, so he's already more than halfway to where he was at using play-action last season.
THE FANTASY CORNER
Not a great week as my lineup finished with 103.6 points and out of the money. Tom Brady, De'Andre Swift, Pat Freiermuth and Tony Pollard all underperformed. Only Derrick Henry was a big hit. But we'll try again this week. As I did last year, I'm going to build a fantasy lineup using Draft Kings and a $50,000 salary cap.
Quarterback: Joe Burrow, Bengals ($6,100) -- Jaire Alexander is out for the Packers. And Joe Mixon is banged up. The impetus is going to be on Burrow to throw the ball to keep up with Aaron Rodgers.
Running back: Damien Williams, Bears ($5,600), Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys ($7,000) -- Williams seems like a pretty chalky pick at $5,600, but he should be OK against the Raiders. Elliott should have his way with a struggling Giants defense.
Wide receiver: Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals ($5,800), Tyler Boyd, Bengals ($5,300), Marvin Jones, Jaguars ($5,700) -- Three mid-money receivers who should do well. Chase and Boyd stack nicely with Burrow. Jones has been the top target in Jacksonville and has a nice matchup with the Titans.
Tight end: Dawson Knox, Bills ($4,300) -- With all of the attention given to everyone else in Buffalo's offense, Knox is quietly off to a nice start.
Flex: Zack Moss, Bills ($5,500) -- Moss has posted double-digit fantasy points each week since being a surprise inactive in Week 1 against the Steelers. You get the idea I think the Bills will score plenty of points against the Chiefs?
Defense: Buccaneers ($4,700) -- I'm paying up a bit for a defense this week. The Bucs should destroy the Miami offensive line at home.
