Sitting at 2-0 after two tough road games, doing something the franchise hasn’t done since 1999, the Pittsburgh Steelers are feeling quite good about the start to their season after wins over the Atlanta Falcons and the Denver Broncos.
Defensively, Pittsburgh has been as advertised, taking the football away a combined five times in the first two games while generating a ton of pressure against opposing quarterbacks.
Offensively though, the Steelers have gotten off to a slow start under new coordinator Arthur Smith, scoring just 31 points and leaning heavily on kicker Chris Boswell to cap drives with field goals, which he’s done eight times through two games.
But they are winning. That’s all that matters.
And yet, despite winning 13-6 over the Broncos Sunday to move to 2-0, the Steelers fell in a pair of power rankings entering Week 3.
In The Athletic’s power rankings, the Steelers fell to No. 15 while in ESPN’s power rankings the Steelers dropped to No. 12. CBS Sports’ power rankings was the only one in which the Steelers moved up, doing so two spots to get into the top 10 at No. 10.
The Steelers fell from No. 13 to No. 15 in The Athletic’s power rankings and were passed by the Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers in the process.
“Pittsburgh has one touchdown and eight Chris Boswell field goals this season. It’s been enough for a 2-0 record and a perch atop the AFC North,” The Athletic’s Josh Kendall writes regarding his concerns about the Steelers’ offense. “Justin Fields has passed for only 273 yards, but he hasn’t turned the ball over. That’s been enough because the defense hasn’t allowed either opponent to top 90 yards rushing. No Steeler had 40 receiving yards against the Broncos.
“Mike Tomlin probably slept great.”
The offense has gotten off to a slow start, and Sunday’s performance in Denver was rather frustrating. Penalties negated quite a few big plays for the Steelers, including a 51-yard pass from Justin Fields to George Pickens, and later a 6-yard touchdown pass from Fields to Pickens, forcing the Steelers to settle for a field goal.
Yes, the Steelers only have one touchdown on the season, which was a Fields 5-yard pass to tight end Darnell Washington against the Broncos, and they have called on Boswell eight times to kick field goals. The stats aren’t all that great overall, either.
But the Steelers are winning, all while figuring it out. And that’s all that matters.
In ESPN’s power rankings, the Steelers fell from No. 11 to No. 12 despite the win over the Broncos, getting passed by the Minnesota Vikings in the process.
In this week’s power rankings ESPN’s Brooke Pryor highlighted the Steelers’ best role player/backup, that being left guard Spencer Anderson, who is in the starting lineup in place of the injured Isaac Seumalo.
“Anderson has joked that he gets tired of hearing about his versatility, but it’s what makes him most valuable. With Isaac Seumalo battling a pec injury, Anderson’s first two career starts have come this season,” Pryor writes. “The 2023 seventh-round pick can play guard, but he’s also capable of filling in at every position along the line. Anderson is likely a do-it-all backup whenever Seumalo is healthy this season, but Anderson could eventually earn a starting job if the Steelers move on from right guard James Daniels, who’s a free agent after the season.”
Anderson has done an admirable job since stepping into the lineup for Seumalo.
Through two games, Anderson has played 135 snaps and has graded out at a 50.9 overall from Pro Football Focus, including a 55.0 against the run and a 49.9 as a pass blocker. He’s been just fine, neither good nor bad, which is perfectly acceptable as the Steelers try and figure it out without Seumalo for the time being.
Fortunately for the Steelers, it wasn’t all negative despite moving to 2-0.
The Steelers climbed to No. 10 in CBS Sports’ power rankings, passing the likes of the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys to get into the top 10.
“At 2-0, it looks like Justin Fields is in as the starter now. You couldn’t possibly sit him down for Russell Wilson,” Pete Prisco writes regarding the Steelers in CBS Sports’ latest power rankings. “The defense has given up one touchdown in two games. Impressive.”
The Steelers’ defense has been downright dominant through the first two weeks of the season. It has allowed just one touchdown, forced five turnovers, and gotten after opposing quarterbacks in a big way.
That’s to be expected though with the amount of investment the Steelers have made in their defense.
The concern right now is with the Steelers’ offense, which has just one touchdown through the first two games. The offense has looked better than it has in recent years, just based on the flow, play design and more, and Fields is doing enough within the scheme.
Stats might not be all that impressive, but the only thing that matters right now as the Steelers settle into a new offense and work out some kinks is that they’re 2-0 and coming home for a big matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3.
