Pittsburgh Steelers: 3 Reasons Black and Gold will rebound in 2019

1. Offensive triple-threat

The Killer Bs were arguably the best offensive trio in the NFL for a couple of seasons. Pittsburgh’s game plan relied on those three guys (Bell, Big Ben and Brown) putting up big numbers. Now, Ben Roethlisberger is the only member of that potent group left on the team.

Despite key departures, the Steelers are still set to have one of the best offensive trios in the league this season. Roethlisberger is coming off of a year where he led the league in passing and set a personal high in touchdowns thrown.

He did throw 16 interceptions, but that’s due to his 675 pass attempts. The next highest mark in the league was Andrew Luck with 639 pass attempts — he threw 15 interceptions. Even Drew Brees, who is always an efficient passer, threw 15 interceptions when he attempted 673 throws back in 2016. Once you move past Roethlisberger’s deceptive interceptions totals, you see that he had a highly productive year and still has plenty of ability left.

At wide receiver, Smith-Schuster is coming off of a breakout season. The third-year wide receiver was terrific in his sophomore campaign. He finished the 2018 season with 111 receptions, 1,426 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. He finished tied for the sixth-most receptions in the league and stood alone with the fifth-most receiving yards last season.

Smith-Schuster is only 22 years old and he has an infectiously positive personality. Unlike how Brown handled his fame, Smith-Schuster hasn’t been dramatic or putting on shows for the media. He’s dedicated to getting better and having fun doing it.

Conner has an incredible story and an incredible game. He has adopted some of the patented patients that Bell displayed during his Steelers days. Conner also has a nose for the end zone. He rushed for 12 touchdowns last season, which tied for the third-most in the league. Only Todd Gurley and Alvin Kamara scored more on the ground.

Unfortunately, Conner missed six games during the regular season, so his season totals don’t line up with other Pro Bowlers. However, among running backs with at least 50 attempts, Conner rushed for the eighth-most yards per game with 74.8. He also ran for the sixth-most first downs with 56.

Hopefully, Pittsburgh’s new offensive trio is more stable than the previous version. It’s hard to figure out what to expect from the offense now that Brown is no longer there. Conner and Smith-Schuster are tough players though. They’re up to the task of filling the shoes of their former teammates.