The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t played particularly well through three weeks, but they’re still 2-1. They came back to beat the New York Jets 34-32 on the road in Week 1, lost to the Seattle Seahawks by 14 points at home in Week 2, then bounced back with a 21-14 road win over the New England Patriots in Week 3.
Despite struggling on both sides of the ball, the Steelers somehow have a winning record. Offensively, they’ve failed to reach 275 total yards in all three games, have sputtered on the ground and rank 30th in the NFL in total yardage with 741 yards. Defensively, they’ve been gashed for 1,158 total yards — 28th in the NFL.
Pittsburgh’s been outgained by at least 100 yards in all three games (417 total) and has a negative-5 point differential. And yet, Mike Tomlin’s team is tied for first in the AFC North at 2-1.
That’s because the Steelers have been incredibly fortunate in regards to turnovers so far. Teams that win the turnover battle tend to win the game, and sure enough, Pittsburgh won that category in both of its wins.
The Steelers have scored 32 of their 72 points off turnovers — most in the NFL. They also lead the league in EPA off turnovers (31.9) and haven’t allowed any points off turnovers yet, both of which also lead the league according to NFL analyst Warren Sharp.
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Pittsburgh’s defense has been opportunistic, forcing eight takeaways (including five against the Patriots). Meanwhile, the Aaron Rodgers-led offense has taken care of the football, coughing up just three giveaways so far.
It also helps that the Steelers have had an easy schedule and taken advantage of bad teams. Both of their wins came against two of the worst teams in the AFC, neither of whom will likely make the playoffs. Meanwhile, they lost handily to the more formidable Seahawks.
Had a couple of plays gone differently, Pittsburgh could easily be 0-3.
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Fortunately for the Steelers, their schedule remains easy over the next month. They face Carson Wentz and the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin this weekend before their bye, then get the hapless Cleveland Browns and Jake Browning-led Cincinnati Bengals afterwards.
Pittsburgh’s schedule gets significantly tougher during the second half, however. If the Steelers want to avoid repeating last year’s late-season collapse, they need to start playing better on both sides of the ball because eventually, their luck will run out.
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Featured image via Amber Searls/Imagn Images