The Steelers enter their bye week with a 3-1 record and currently sit atop the AFC North. However, despite boasting one of the best records in the NFL, USA Today’s Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz gave Pittsburgh a B- grade for its performance in September.
“A 3-1 opening to Aaron Rodgers’ time at the helm might be taken as a resounding success for some, especially at a time when everyone else in the AFC North is floundering,” Middlehurst-Schwartz wrote Tuesday. “But from their close call in the season opener against the New York Jets to their fourth-quarter crumpling in Ireland against the Minnesota Vikings, the Steelers have established a nasty habit of making things far more difficult than they need to be.
“At least their international trip brought out plenty of good, with the run game complementing the quick-hit passing attack and the defense ratcheting up the pressure with a heavy dose of blitzes. Turning those into trends the team can implement stateside would alleviate a lot of the initial trepidation surrounding the Steelers.”
Pittsburgh struggled in its first two games of the season against the Jets and the Seattle Seahawks, allowing a total of 65 points. However, it showed improvement over the last two weeks, surrendering only 35 combined points in their matchups against the New England Patriots and the Vikings.
With the defense improving and the offense gaining momentum with Rodgers, the Steelers could go 3-0 in October against the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers.
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