Fragen und Antworten » Steelers’ Week 3 win over Buccaneers stems

the tide of early season turbulence If you’re anything like me Joe Gilliam Jersey , I’ll bet you’re glad you don’t have to talk yourself into believing the Steelers could still be true contenders with a record of 0-2-1 to start the 2018 campaign.And that’s what we would have had to do, you know. Talk ourselves into thinking the low percentage of teams that made the playoffs after going winless through the first three weeks didn’t pertain to the squad we cheered for. Thankfully, the Steelers rescued us from that illogical bit of fan reasoning with a 30-27 victory over the Buccaneers on Monday Night Football. It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t always sound. But it gave the Steelers (and their fans) a chance to breathe, to sort of hit the reset button.After 2017, a season in which the Steelers seemed to be in the news every single week for one controversy or another, it didn’t seem like Team Turmoil could possibly be more chaotic in 2018. Yet, the first two weeks felt like 20, as Pittsburgh got off to an 0-1-1 start and didn’t look very pretty during the process.The ugliness wasn’t contained to the field either.But it’s okay...for now. The win over Tampa Bay didn’t cure all that ailed the Steelers going into Monday night. No, it just leveled off the airline after a rough takeoff and some scary turbulence. The Steelers still have much work to do, and how they go about their business during the next few weeks will likely determine the ultimate course of their season. However, this is nothing new in the NFL, especially with the way free-agency alters every team’s roster during the offseason—even the really talented ones. Take a look at the Steelers, for instance, a team that went 13-3 in 2017. They essentially have two new starting safeties Terry Bradshaw Jersey , along with a rookie safety who they’ve quickly thrown into the mix and are expecting big things from. They also have a new inside linebacker and two outside linebackers that have switched sides.And that’s just the defense. Pittsburgh has a new starting running back to start the season in James Conner, something nobody — including the front-office and coaching staff — could have predicted as recently as a month ago. The Steelers also have a new-look receiving corps that includes a rookie and a return-specialist who they traded for right before the start of the season.Oh yes, and there’s the new offensive coordinator.With the way all teams — not just the Steelers — prepare for the regular season by protecting their essential players during the preseason, it’s no wonder ugliness is so often a part of September football. No, not all teams are looking ugly right now. The Chiefs are a great example, as they’ve started out 3-0 and couldn’t look more dominant. The other day, as Kansas City’s first half score of 35-7 over the 49ers flashed on my television screen, I thought, “Man, the Steelers are not even in the Chiefs’ universe, let alone league.” But then I caught myself and realized there are teams like the Chiefs each and every September. In fact, the Chiefs were that team last year, as they jumped out to a 5-0 start and beat up on the Super Bowl champion Patriots in the process. Kansas City was the new team-to-beat in the AFC. Kansas City was going to get over the hump and get to the Super Bowl. By the playoffs, Kansas City was the fourth seed and lost to the Titans at home in the first round. Coaches like to tell you about how they don’t worry about what other teams are doing. “We can’t worry about what takes place in other stadiums Louis Lipps Jersey ,” Mike Tomlin is fond of saying. While that’s not always true, it’s certainly true at this time of year. It doesn’t matter who looks dominant now. What matters is who’s peaking in December and January, something the Steelers have been very good at in recent years. After all the chaos, after all those penalties, after all those turnovers given up by the offense and big plays given up by the defense, the Steelers are 1-1-1.That record looks ridiculous, but it’s only a half a game worse than Pittsburgh’s record last year at this time. The Steelers don’t look like Super Bowl contenders right now, but that doesn’t mean they’re not.Let’s see how they chart their course from here. The 2018 season has proven to be a success story for the NFL, a result that probably came as a complete surprise to many prognosticators. The NFL's marketing department was faced with a dilemma. After decades of utilizing highlight reels of knockout collisions to advertise their product, they were no longer able to capitalize on the raw brutality of the professional game because of pending lawsuits pertaining to CTE claims and their corresponding commitment to the Heads Up program. The league quickly implemented a new gameplan to entertain the masses, because that is what the NFL is at it's core. A multi-billion dollar entertainment entity.So the rules committee created new rules designed to not only improve player safety but increase the level of difficulty for defenses all across the league. If you are no longer able to pull them in with the promise of cringe worthy violence, offer them the opportunity to witness mind blowing statistics and near constant scoring. That should be enough to keep the casual fan entertained and all the fantasy football crowd glued to their devices. At first glance, you would have to say "Mission accomplished" .Anytime the top four seeds are getting ready to duke it out in the conference championship games, it legitimizes the importance of the regular season. When the four remaining teams just so happen to be the top four scoring teams during the regular season Alejandro Villanueva Jersey , it confirms the leagues commitment to increase scoring and their belief that increased scoring would equate to winning for the franchises able and willing to adapt.Now your final four contenders are a deserving and diversified group. All four franchises have lifted the Lombardi Trophy at some point in their history and each team is being lead by a innovative HC and a franchise QB. The quarterbacks are particularly interesting.On one hand you have the old GOAT, Patriots QB Tom Brady. A proven champion on multiple occasions, he is the alpha dog of the group. Nobody beats Father Time, but Brady seems to be giving him a pretty good run for his money. Every team in the league is waiting not so patiently for the inevitable decline in his game or for a chink to show in his armour. While Brady failed to have one of his MVP type seasons, he has had his usual moments of brilliance and was spectacular last week against the still shell shocked Chargers. Brady reminded me of Lebron James this season. Kinda bored with the grind of the regular season at this point of his career, but now energized since the post season is upon us. He seems recommitted to winning another Super Bowl, and while I sure hope he doesn't, I wouldn't bet against the man.The other old dog of this group is everybody's favorite, Saints QB Drew Brees. Brees might just be the nicest guy in the league and is impossible not to like. The only time you can feel ok rooting against the man is when he is playing against your favorite team. I think it would fall outside the bounds of common human decency any other time. The Saints were the odds on preseason favorite to reach the conference championship game and they haven't disappointed. Brees is one of two individuals with a legitimate shot to take home NFL MVP honors this season, and it would be well deserved. He is still playing at the top of a Hall of Fame career and the all time passing yardage leader wants desperately to add a second Super Bowl title to his already impressive resume. He is surrounded by the best collection of talent he has ever had at his disposal, on both sides of the ball, and must be considered the favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Brees has never lost a home playoff game to my knowledge, but he will have to overcome a rash of injuries to his offensive line to keep that streak alive.That leaves us with two young pups trying to earn their place in the pack. Los Angeles Rams QB Jerad Goff and Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes have both taken the first stepping stone necessary to become a championship QB, winning your first playoff game. You can never win the whole shebang till you win that first playoff game. That proves to be the most difficult step for many young QBs John Stallworth Jersey , and their confidence will often skyrocket after achieving the milestone.That confidence should serve Goff well as he leads his Rams into hostile territory to attempt to knockoff the team with the best record in the NFL this season. Goff enjoyed a breakout season last year, his sophomore campaign in the league, but he took his game to another level this season. Goff appears to have a very calm demeanor and remains cool under pressure, reminiscent of Hall of Fame great QB Joe Montana. That is truly high praise indeed, but that is who he reminds me of. Not a bad guy to pattern your game after.That leaves us with likely 2018 NFL MVP Mahomes, who has enjoyed a truly magical season in his first season as a starting QB. He put up numbers not seen since a young Dan Marino tore through the NFL during his second season, and Mahomes lead the league in touchdown passes by a wide margin. He displayed a midus touch, in that everything he touched turned to gold. He is absolutely fearless, whether it is throwing no look passes or throwing with his left hand after escaping the sack. For Mahomes magical season to have a Cinderella ending he will have to first knock Brady out of the playoffs and off his throne. No small task indeed, but at least the game is in Kansas City.No matter what happens in the games this weekend, this season has been a rousing success for the NFL and their future looks bright. It really couldn't have worked out much better if they would have planned it this way. Wait a second...you don't think?