The Pittsburgh Steelers have managed to secure a 2-0 record thus far, but there are a few things the team needs to improve on going into Week 3. The Steelers will kick off against the Houston Texans on Sept. 27 at 1 p.m.
Penalties plagued the Steelers’ Week 2 matchup against the Denver Broncos. Pittsburgh gave up 89 yards as a result of 10 penalties.
“It hurt our efforts on both sides of the ball,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said in a press conference on Sept. 22. “We had two critical holding calls in the first half of the game.”
One of the most critical penalties against the Steelers was a block in the black that eliminated a punt-return touchdown from Diontae Johnson.
Another costly penalty was a pass interference call on safety Terrell Edmunds. The call came on a third-and-11 play with just 3:19 left in the fourth quarter. If it weren’t for Edmunds’ sack just a few plays after, this penalty could have resulted in a loss for the Steelers.
“We intend to bring some officials to our practice work this week in an effort to make a point and emphasis in that area,” Tomlin said.
A few Steelers players also made a few mistakes in the second half that put themselves in jeopardy of losing the game.
Benny Snell Jr. fumbled the ball in the fourth quarter and it was recovered by Denver. This set up a drive that resulted in a Broncos touchdown.
Roethlisberger also threw an interception that was intended for JuJu Smith-Schuster. It was instead caught by Justin Simmons.
In a press conference with Ben Roethlisberger on Sept. 23, the quarterback pointed out that the offense has yet to find its groove.
Luckily, the defense has been there to bail them out during the last two games.
“There’s gonna be weeks when offensively we struggle,” Roethlisberger said. “There’s gonna be weeks where the defense may be struggling and the offense has to step up. That’s what makes teams special — is they step up for each other, they compliment each other.”
Roethlisberger attributes some of the issues on offense to his own mistakes. He is still getting used to being on the field again and adjusting to the threats of opposing defenses.
“I do feel that I got a little lazy with my feet, which then translated to a lazy arm,” Roethlisberger said.
While the Texans currently have a 0-2 record, the team still poses a threat to the Steelers.
Houston’s first two matchups were against the 2020 Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens. These are arguably two of the best teams in the league.
In his weekly press conference, Tomlin mentioned that quarterback Deshaun Watson will be a challenge.
“Watson’s got a nice collection of receivers,” Tomlin said. “Watson himself is going to be a ridiculous challenge, not only in terms of his quarterback abilities and his arm talents, but his ability to improvise, his ability to extend plays.”
Although Pittsburgh could have David DeCastro back in the lineup, defensive end J.J. Watt could be a problem for the Steelers’ offensive line.
“This guy’s a catalyst for a lot of what they do on that side of the ball,” Tomlin said. “He’s a big-time ball disrupter and he’s extremely ball-aware.”
The Steelers should be fully equipped to handle the Texans this week, but Houston is now desperate to get in the win column.
Featured Image Courtesy of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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