After a game where Pittsburgh narrowly pulled a win away from Cleveland, we look at three things you need to takeaway from Week 1
The Pittsburgh Steelers started their 2017 season dealing the Browns their 13th consecutive opening day loss in a 21-18 victory at FirstEnergy stadium in Cleveland, OH. On the scoreboard, it was business as expected for a Steelers team to carry into week two with a one in the win column.
There were many questions for fans going into week one, with concerns over Le’Veon Bell’s workload, how quickly new acquisitions Joe Haden and Vance McDonald could transition and more. Among the many questions posed for Pittsburgh to answer come kickoff, the general direction of the offense was not a concern. 60 minutes of football later, however, and this Steelers offense has more clouds surrounding their overall play than anticipated.
For not a heroic performance by Antonio Brown (11 receptions, 182 yards) it’s very likely Pittsburgh drops their first game of the season. The high potent Steelers offense was nowhere to be found, instead opting to stall drive after drive. 290 total yards on 54 plays is nothing desirable for the potential this offense leaves, especially considering what Pittsburgh can do both on the ground and through the air.
As poorly as the offense as a whole played, the team leaned to the defense to win the game, and indeed it did. Aside from a few questionable decisions/penalties involving late hits, the unit as a whole played solid given the lack of offensive production and loss of defensive end Stephon Tuitt early in the first quarter.
As the Steelers head home to Heinz Field for a week two matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh will need to watch film with a grain of salt and move on in order to prevent the near-disaster that took place previously. However, we are only a week into football season. The Steelers have plenty of time to find their stride and identity for 2017, and as long as coach Mike Tomlin sees a “W” at the end of the day, Pittsburgh will be just fine.
Three takeaways from Week 1’s 21-18 victory over Cleveland: