Pittsburgh Steelers: Predicting statistical leaders for 2019 season

1 of 5

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DECEMBER 23: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers passes the ball during the first half of a game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on December 23, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

With some star players leaving the team, the Pittsburgh Steelers will need more players to step up and produce in the 2019 season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers got a taste of the future last year when several young players announced their presences to the NFL landscape. With some stars being phased out and these new players assuming larger roles, the predicted statistical leaders for the Steelers look different than they have the past few seasons.

It wasn’t hard to predict who will lead the Steelers in the six general statistical categories used for this article.

Ultimately, it’s not who leads the team in these areas that matters anyway. It’s the numbers they produce and how those stats reflect a successful team and season.

With that in mind, let’s dive into the predictions, starting with the most obvious of the group.

Passing yards

Stat leader: Ben Roethlisberger

I hope you weren’t expecting to see anyone else here. The Steelers offense lives and dies with Ben Roethlisberger. Even though Pittsburgh has used draft picks on Joshua Dobbs and Mason Rudolph in recent years, no one can replace Roethlisberger.

We all saw what happened when he sat out a few drives against the Oakland Raiders last season because of injury concerns. The offense was utterly stagnant, and the Steelers ended up losing the game to a subpar Raiders squad.

Big Ben led the NFL in pass attempts, completions, passing yards, passing yards per game and interceptions thrown last season. He’s always been willing to try some ridiculous throws, which have produced both highlight-reel plays and high blood pressure over the years.

The other stats are all more important in evaluating Roethlisberger’s value to the team though. The Steelers offense is built around the passing game. The team had the second-best passing offense in the league last season, trailing only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When it came to running the ball though, things were bleak. Pittsburgh finished 31st in rushing last season, only sitting atop the Arizona Cardinals.

For Pittsburgh’s sake, Roethlisberger needs to stay healthy and lead the team in passing yards this coming season.

Home/Pittsburgh Steelers