Pittsburgh hasn’t finished under .500 since all the way back in 2003 and once again looks to be one of the best teams in the NFL. The Steelers arguably have the best collection of skill position talent in the league and provided Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown return healthy from injury, this should be one of the highest-scoring offenses in the NFL.
Pittsburgh Steelers Playoff Odds at BookMaker.eu
Yes -240
No +200
2015 PITTSBURGH STEELERS SEASON REVIEW
Last year will go down as the year that could have been for the Steelers. Pittsburgh lost Le’Veon Bell for the season after just the sixth game and Ben Roethlisberger missed four games due to injury as well. When the Steelers offense was humming though, they were very difficult to beat. Pittsburgh ended the season fourth in points per game and a large part of that was due to superstar Antonio Brown.
Brown shattered Steelers’ franchise records last season in Todd Haley’s offense. He caught 136 passes for 1834 yards with 10 touchdowns during the regular season and was a constant deep ball threat all year long. His season ended in the playoffs with a vicious hit from Vontaze Burfict in Pittsburgh’s win against Cincinnati, but not before Brown racked up 119 yards receiving in that game. The Steelers struggled to create offense against Denver without him in the following game and that doomed Pittsburgh.
KEY LOSSES
Pittsburgh lost more than a few players in the offseason, but no one irreplaceable. The biggest loss was undoubtedly tight end Heath Miller, who stepped away from the game after 11 seasons in the Steel City. Miller was a fan favorite and shouts of ‘Heeeeeeeeeath’ rang out any time he caught a pass, but the physical rigors of the league finally caught up to him.
The other big loss for Pittsburgh this season will be receiver Martavis Bryant. Bryant looked like he was beginning to emerge as a solid No. 2 option to Brown last year, but was just handed a year-long suspension for yet another substance-abuse violation. He had a breakout game in Brown’s absence against Denver and will undoubtedly be missed.
KEY ADDITIONS
Pittsburgh has never been a team known for making a splash in free agency and instead has always built through the draft. The Steelers hope to have continued this trend with the selection of cornerback Artie Burns in the draft. Pittsburgh’s weakness over the last few seasons has been its secondary, and Burns should be able to help shore it up. He has a long frame and alongside last year’s draft pick, Senquez Golson, should be able to do wonders.
2016 PITTSBURGH STEELERS SEASON PREVIEW
Health is the key decider in Pittsburgh’s chances in 2016. The Steelers have been ravaged by injuries over the past few seasons, and the offensive line has suffered major injuries in each of the last four years. Brown, Bell, and Roethlisberger are among the league’s best at their respective positions and can keep Pittsburgh in any game.
Defensively, the big question for Pittsburgh is in the secondary. Although the run defense hasn’t been as dominant as it was throughout the 2000s, it is still one of the better units in the league and teams are hard-pressed to run on the Steelers. The passing game is a different story however, with Pittsburgh tanking 13th in Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric for pass defense.
Pittsburgh’s window is closing with Bell and Brown likely set to reap a financial windfall soon and Roethlisberger getting older. Roethlisberger has been rejuvenated under Todd Haley’s offense and has put up prolific numbers when he has stayed healthy. The Steelers have won two-thirds of their games under his stewardship and with a solid season Roethlisberger could crack 300 career passing touchdowns.
The Steelers’ schedule is extremely manageable this season. Pittsburgh faces the AFC East and NFC East in divisional play and will likely only be an underdog against New England in those eight games. Expect Pittsburgh to once again get to double digits in wins and make the playoffs.
NFL Odds: Pittsburgh Steelers to make the playoffs -240
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