While the Pittsburgh Steelers did manage to notch a big road win Sunday night against the Carolina Panthers, they certainly have quite a bit to improve upon moving forward into their season.
One of several main concerns for the Steelers after their first three games is the amount of penalties that are being called against them.
In the win Sunday night over the Panthers, the Steelers were penalized a total of 11 times for 91 yards. Through their first three games of the season, they have incurred a total of 35 penalties for a whopping 262 total yards. Last season, the Steelers were penalized a total of 90 times for 671 yards as a team.
The Steelers penalties are not only coming on both sides of the football and special teams, they’re also happening as a result of being very undisciplined.
With time winding down in the second quarter, guard David DeCastro was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness after bumping Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, who was trying to prevent wide receiver Justin Brown from getting up off of the ground following a reception.
While Kuechly clearly embellished DeCastro’s hit, the referees missed it and the subsequent penalty resulted in the offense needing another 12 yards on the ensuing third down play just to give kicker Shaun Suisham a shot at kicking a 45-yard field goal.
Luckily for DeCastro, the team came away with points and a 9-3 lead at halftime. He might not be so lucky the next time. This team has to do a better job at trying not to get flagged as much moving forward.
