This may be the year for the Steelers to take down the Patriots: Pats loss to Titans and Bell's decision are both positive

… but Dec. schedule still tough

The ESPN story today by Jeremy Fowler explained why the Steelers’ fans have so much more reason for optimism than they did two months ago. Entitled “Why the Steelers have Super Bowl shot without Le'Veon Bell,” Fowler outlined the reasons for the optimism of the Steelers at this juncture of the season.

The humbling defeat of the Patriots by the Tennessee Titans Sunday by three touchdowns added a dimension that really helps the Steelers since they have been the obstacle in recent seasons. Now with three losses, the truth is that the Pats will be hard-pressed to earn the number one seed in the AFC as they have so often in recent years.

Second, the report by ESPN and the NFL Network that running back Le’Veon Bell will never sign a tender this year adds a feeling of stability to the team. While some thought that Bell would be a welcome addition, he would have been a distraction.

The report indicated that Bell had indicated that he would not report and sign the Steelers $14.5 million franchise tender that they had extended last summer.

Fowler summarize the Steelers situation quite well: “The Steelers are a better team with Bell, an All-Pro … One of the hottest teams in the league should have every reason to believe it can contend for a Super Bowl with that locker room makeup … ” Fowler said, noting that QB Ben Roethlisberger is on line to hit 5,000 passing yards in a season for the first time in his career after throwing for 328 yards and five TDs last Thursday against Carolina.

Why the reasons for optimism?
First, Roethlisberger and running back James Conner have been playing superbly, bringing up his QB rating to 100.7 for the season. However, that all comes down to the offensive line. To understand how well they have been playing, Fowler notes that Roethlisberger has not been sacked since the third week of the season. Conner has been averaging 5.33 yards per carry over the past five games.

Second, a plethora of weapons for Ben. Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Shuster have been a solid top tandem. JuJu has 56 catches for 762 yards (13.6 catch) and three TDs, while A.B. has 57 (12.1) for 690 yards and ten TDs.

Fowler explains that there are more weapons, making it the most versatile offense the team has had in four seasons. “Both are legitimate primary options, but the Steelers have game-breakers elsewhere. Tight end Vance McDonald is the ideal third option over the middle as a change-of-pace, yards-after-catch hunter whose pacing for 50-plus catches and nearly 700 yards. The Steelers have six receivers with at least 18 catches, including Conner (39), tight end Jesse James (22) and Ryan Switzer (18). And slot receiver Eli Rogers could serve as a man-coverage buster upon his return from injury. With or without Bell, this is the most versatile the Steelers have been on offense since maybe 2014.”

Tight end Vance McDonald has simply been a beast, and Conner has 39 receptions for 387 yards and a TD. Added to his 771 yards and ten TDs on the ground, Conner has 1,158 yards from scrimmage, making Bell expendable.

Red Zone improvement is dramatic
Fowler points to something else that has been a dramatic improvement from past years. “For years, middling red zone production kept a prolific offense from averaging 30 points per game. The Steelers are averaging 31.0 points per game through 10 weeks because of their top-ranked red zone offense, scoring on 78.57 percent of drives inside the 20, compared to 53.03 percent last season,” he wrote on the ESPN website.

That is an improvement in 25 percent from last year, which is significant. And it comes after Ben struggled mightily at times early in the season. Perhaps some of that as a team was because of the distraction of Bell, and with his disappearance, now the media can focus on the chances for the postseason.

Defensive improvement is probably the key

Perhaps the greatest improvement, though, has been on the defensive side of the ball, and the defense was woeful — to say the least — earlier in the season.

Over the past five weeks, the Steelers have 18 sacks, and that has been impressive. T.J. Watt is delivering, showing that he indeed was a good first-round draft pick a year ago. Watt has eight to lead the team right now, and he is third in tackles with 43, 30 of them solo.

However, the player who is literally playing for his life has also been a pleasant surprise. Bud Dupress, whom the Steelers did not extend because of his inconsistent play, has 4.5 sacks, as does Cam Heyward.

Perhaps the biggest surprise to me has been ILB Jon Bostic, filling Ryan Shazier’s spot, who is leading the team in tackles with 56. The other inside backer, Vince Williams, is second with 49.

Benching Artie Burns, another first-round pick who has struggled, was good. Coty Sensabaugh has played well, and overall, the DBs are playing much better.

That will be key because of the schedule down the stretch.

December challenge
The Steelers have two games on the road in the next two weeks, against the Jacksonville Jags and then the Denver Broncos. The Jags have been a puzzle, now 3-6 and in last place in the AFC-South after starting out with a 3-1 record, including a win over the Patriots. They defeated the Steelers twice last year, including an embarrassing Pittsburgh loss in the playoffs that ended their 13-3 season.

The Broncos are always tough in their mile-high climate, despite their 3-6 record. The Steelers are still smarting over their playoff loss to Tim Tebow in Denver in the first round of the playoffs a few years back.

However, the December schedule is imposing. They have the surprising Chargers, also a five-game winning streak, on Dec. 2, followed by what should be an easy trip to Oakland. Then, they finish with the Pats at home, the Saints on the road, and the Bengals at home.

With the Patriots having three losses, that Dec. 16 game could be vital for home field advantage. Right now, the Chiefs at 9-1 have the driver’s seat for the number one pick, which is very important because of home-field advantage. The Chargers have the second-best record in the AFC at 7-2, and the Steelers are third. Much can change in that time.

The good news is that this is such a huge improvement over what the future appeared to be just a few weeks ago.

And the Super Bowl, which I thought was out of reach this year, now appears to be somewhat within reach, depending on how we play in December.