Pittsburgh Steelers: 3 Cold Hard Facts for their 2017 Season
The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking at 2017 as a year of redemption. Le’Veon Bell will enter the year with a full 16 games ahead of him. Antonio Brown is still the best wide receiver in the NFL and Ben Roethlisberger is still one of the top 3 elite QB’s in the NFL. What has stopped the Steelers from reaching their top goal has been injuries and a bit of bad luck.
Here are 3 Cold Hard Facts for the Pittsburgh Steelers 2017 season.
Le’Veon Bell will rush for 2000 yards
It’s just a matter of time before it happens. Bell has flirted with this feat since entering the league and it’s times he made good on this accomplishment. The only thing stopping Bell from reaching 2k is Bell. How can a player who missed 4 games in 2016 manage to finish the year with 1200+ yards? He was 800 yards away and those 4 games wouldn’t have gotten them there but if determined enough then he has a shot. The Steelers offense is the of the best in the league and with Ben Roethlisberger getting up there in age the Steelers may decide to run the ball more. If this happens then Bell has a great shot. If Bell is to gain that 2000 yards what the Steelers must down is cut down on the pass attempts. Bell has averaged 75 catches in his two healthy seasons and if they were to cut down on those he could reach that 2k.
The defense will be top 5 in league
As great as the offense is, it’s still the defense that will set the tone for the Steelers success. If Lawrence Timmons can continue his dominance in the middle and the secondary decides they want to stop the ball from moving through the air then the NFL should be worried. The Steelers finished 2016 ranked 20th in stopping the run and 16th in yards allowed through the air. With the Steelers facing the Browns, Bears, Chiefs, and Ravens in 2017 they actually may have a chance to show improvement The Steelers sacked the Quarterback 38 times last season and will look to top that feat this year. Offense wins games but defense wins championships. This is a motto past Steelers teams have lived by and Mike Tomlin would love to see that happen again.
Pittsburgh will go undefeated in AFC North
Ben Roethlisberger is still one of the QB’s I want behind center when the game is on the line. Despite what critics may say about his body breaking down, Roethlisberger still passed for 3800+ yards and 26+ touchdowns in 14 starts. But this is what separates the Steelers from the rest of the division. The Bengals are A.J. Green or bust. The Ravens are Flacco or bust and the Browns– they’re still trying to figure out their secret formula. Pittsburgh has various weapons at their disposal with Big Ben, Antonio Brown, and Bell. Now, the return of Martavis Bryant gives them another threat that can unleash. It’s the experience the Steelers have that will have them riding shotgun in the North once again. Six games, one loss in 2016. Six games, no losses in 2017. It’s as simple as that.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
