Steelers showed significant improvement in the first half, but I do not see ring number 7 on the horizon

… discipline is still horrible

In many ways, the Pittsburgh Steelers improved significantly in Monday night’s victory over Tampa Bay on the road. However, they also demonstrated that the team has significant problems, some of which could be changed with some improved coaching and different mindsets and leadership.

First, the positive

A win is a win is a win. What they needed desperately was a win that would place them back in the AFC-North race. They are still a game back of the Bengals and Ravens in the win column with games against them both on the horizon.

Second, they scored 30 points in the first half, with one TD a pick-six and another set up with turnovers. If they are going to win consistently, they will need to score at least 40 points because their defense is still shaky.

The offense piled up more than 400 yards with two starting linemen out of the lineup (DeCastro and Gilbert).

After throwing an early pick that the Bucs turned into their only first half TD, Ben Roethlisberger put together a game that was reminiscent of his old self. He completed 30 of 38 passes (79 percent) for 353 yards and three TDs, a QB rating of 120, twice what it was against the Browns.

The numbers again indicate that JuJu Smith-Shuster has become their top receiver as he was targeted 11 times, caught nine of them for 116 yards, to A. Brown’s six for 50 yards, targeted nine times. That is positive since there is so much less drama with him.

However, the defense did look good at times, with Ben Dupree returning a pass for a TD, the Steelers first in a month of Sundays.

They did not miss Le’Veon Bell, compiling 413 yards of total offense.

They found a monster tight end in Vance McDonald. His stiff arm was one for the season highlight reel.

They appear to have found a good return man in Ryan Switzer.

Negative

They accumulated 13 penalties for 155 yards, and many of them were simply because of lax discipline. If that continues, it will be a long year.

They scored 30 points in the first half but none, not one, in the second.

Despite throwing three interceptions in the first half, the Steeler defense allowed Tampa QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to throw for 392 yards and run for 27 more, putting him over 400 total yards.

They desperately need a field goal kicker before someone burns them because of Boswell.

Jesse James, who played well against the Jets, appeared to disappear in this game. One catch for seven yards.

Conclusion

The first half gave us hope, the second reminded us that this is just an average Steeler team overall. The offense failing to score in the second half was disturbing. After getting ahead, they took it easy in the second, again raising the concern about what effect the coaches have on the team.

This team will be hard-pressed to win the AFC North, with all three teams having improved thus far. I cannot see a Super Bowl in the future. Their secondary is still a mess, and their inside linebackers were better — at least Bostic was — but Matakevich was nowhere to be found. One tackle?

Fortunately, after picking the Steelers apart on their first drive by exploiting their weak middle on pass defense, the Bucs seemed to deviate from that once they got behind.

Still, it was nice to see them secure a win, even if they had to hold on for dear life at the end. With the Ravens being forced to come to Pittsburgh now, it gives the Steelers a chance to get back into the race.

However, consistency is and has been a problem for them. They need to work on that for the future.