The Steelers will go as far as Ben will carry them, but a need for offensive consistency and a running game are concerns

… defense is still a concern despite great show Sunday

Steeler fans finally had some reason to feel that maybe their team will be able to make some noise this season. A 41-17 win over Atlanta gave the fans some solace after losing two games thus far at home.

I could proudly wear my Troy Polamalu Steelers jersey without fear of embarrassing myself, like after the tie with the Browns. It was a nice feeling.

The question now is whether or not it will be illusory. Is this an occasional game or will they now elevate their caliber of play?

What is clear to me is that for the Steelers to succeed in 2018, they will have to rely on the arm of 36-year-old Ben Roethlisberger. They will go as far as he can carry them because the defense still has so many holes — despite a decent performance against the Falcons, like essentially shutting down the Falcons premiere receiver Julio Jones and sacking quarterback Matt Ryan six times.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said that about the win: “The Steelers put together a complete performance, offering a tease it can climb back into contention. The defense’ resurgence — sacking Matt Ryan Six times and holding Julio Jones to 62 years — is by far the biggest positive. It was reasonable to expect Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown to get hot again. But a defense that looked lost for the better part of an month desperately needed an edge.”

Can they continue? Depends on a number of things.

Can Ben become consistent?

For Roethlisberger to lead the team to another playoff berth, he needs to become more consistent. His QB ratings in 2018 tell the story. His rating was just 60.5 in a season-opening tie with the Browns and just 72.5 in an embarrassing loss at home last week. The other three games he was over 100 (104 KC), (120 TB), 1(112 All.). His TD to interception rate is not great either, 11 to 6.

It is important to remember that in the previous two games, against Tampa Bay and Baltimore, the Steelers did not score a point in the second half. That is the inconsistency problem.

I had said earlier in the season that the Steelers might have to score points a game to be successful — because of their defense. I was saying that facetiously, but am now more serious about that. They are going to have to score quite a few points in big games in order to win.

Ben has to be more consistent and a franchise QB cannot have bad games like he has. Everyone will have a down game, but not two out of five.

Positives: Ground game returns

Roethlisberger completed 19 of 29 passes for three touchdowns, 250 yards, but in order to keep him from being sacked, as they did yesterday, they need a consistent running game. That has been missing since the Browns game, and it was not because of Le’Veon Bell.

James Conner carried the ball 21 times for 110 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught four passes for 75 yards for 185 yards of offense.

However, the problem for the running game, according to an ESPN analyst. “You’ve got to give him touches … you’ve got to get your running back into a rhythm. When you’re only giving him sporadic play, six, ten, 12 — they don’t get into a rhythm. When you give them 21, you’re [allowing] the offensive line to exert their will against the defensive line, and they showed up today. That’s how the Steelers win football games. A balanced offense. Allow that running game to open up so A.B. [Antonio Brown] can get that 50 or 60 yard bomb down the sideline.”

Part of the issue is that they have fallen behind early and gotten away from the game plan. which is not good.

Balance: They passed for 250, rushed for 131. Can they do that against the premiere teams? That could be the key question in the final 11 games of the regular season.

But, Ben is the key. As he goes, so go the Steelers. Only he can overcome the defensive difficulties.