Pittsburgh Steelers Week 6 Preview: Time for a Roll?

As the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Indianapolis Colts 34-22 in NFL week five, it put their record above .500 at 3-2 and sent the Colts to yet another defeat when playing in Pittsburgh, a place they have not won since 2008. In the last 12 games Pittsburgh has OWNED Indy winning 10 of the last 12 games. This one was special in several ways. Aaron Rodgers got the protection he needed and lit up the Colts’ defense with a strong passing game and a monstrous effort in the running game all by Jaylen Warren who was the shining star of the day.

What Rodgers accomplished in the victory was historic. Only one other quarterback in the history of the team had thrown for three or more touchdowns in three consecutive games. That was hall of famer Terry Bradshaw. Now add Rodgers to that list. Not even Ben Roethlisberger could accomplish that. The Colts tried to make a game of it and kudos to Daniel Jones for making some impressive plays and Tyler Warren practically being the only reason Indianapolis made a game of it. Jonathan Taylor ran hard but Pittsburgh’s defense kept him in check.

In my opinion, the absolutely dumbest call of the day came from Colts’ head coach Shane Steichen. Down by nine points with 4:12 to go on the game clock, Steichen was faced with fourth and 17 from his own 39-yard line. Common sense says punt the ball away and try to let your defense get the back quickly, correct? That’s not the decision Steichen made as he left Daniel Jones on the field to go for the first down. Jones attempted a pass that was incomplete and the Steelers would take three off that decision as Chris Boswell booted it through the uprights with 3:43 to play and it was game over. 

The Steelers made other changes on this day as well. Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham was down on the sidelines as opposed to being in the booth up above which is where he was last Thursday a week and a half ago in Cleveland. His appearance on the sidelines did nothing to improve the tackling by his defense. That aspect will HAVE to be corrected to give the Steelers a solid season. Elandon Roberts, a former Steelers linebacker, was in Pittsburgh last Monday for an interview and if he is added to the roster Roberts is a tackling machine. 

The secondary is still a work in progress, but they are looking better. Rookies Daylen Everette and Robert Spears-Jennings are draft picks beginning to pay dividends. For sure the defense is not the same without Derek Harmon and DeShon Elliott so hopefully they return sooner than later. But Cameron Heyward continues to impress gray hair and all. The biggest disappointment of the season thus far? Highly paid Nick Herbig. Not one tackle last Sunday and thus far through five games he has made only seven solo tackles and has not recorded a sack. This happens to players sometimes when they sign a rich contract and then hit the field and take a dump.

Meanwhile, Payton Wilson was all over the field and played outstandingly with 10 total tackles, eight of which were solo. Wilson added two tackles for a loss, one pass defended, and one quarterback hit. Perhaps he should have been awarded big money and not Herbig. But let’s talk about the offense. It was a beautiful thing to watch. 

Let’s begin with the main man. Jaylen Warren. I just traded for Warren in my company’s fantasy league. You can’t blame me after this performance. 15 rushes for 101 yards and an extreme per carry mark of 6.7 yards per tote. One touchdown of 50 yards on a romp. Then, Aaron Rodgers dialed him through the air six times and each time Warren hauled in the pass for a total of another 87 yards, one of which went for an 80-yard touchdown. Rookie Germie Bernard is coming on fast. This kid is going to be a stud receiver for years to come. Six receptions and 80 yards receiving. 

On the day Aaron Rodgers threw for 235 yards which might not sound like a lot, but he hit on 22 of 31 passes and his quarterback rating was 125.1. He threw no interceptions and was sacked just once. In my opinion this was his finest game as a Steeler. The Steelers have a wealth of weapons at their disposal on offense and Rodgers made use of them all. Unfortunately, Roman Wilson suffered a fractured finger, so he is out of commission for a few weeks.

Pat Freiermuth caught five passes for 44 yards at an 8.8 yards per reception average, Darnell Washington added two for 12, DK Metcalf chipped in with three more receptions and 12 yards. Chris Boswell was perfect on two field goals including a 54 yarder. Back on the defensive side punter Cameron Johnston was awesome with three punts and an average of 52 yards per punt.

Now the question is can they carry this momentum into their next game taking place in Florida as the Steelers take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If history has any impact, these two teams have played 12 times, and the Steelers have taken 10 of them. In the very first meeting Steve Spurrier was the quarterback from Tampa and former Steelers QB Terry Hanratty was his backup. 

Hanratty was a guest on my podcast several years ago, and he told me when he entered that game, Pittsburgh defenders refused to hit him as a former teammate and the one play he was sacked on, it more of a getting a hold of Hanratty and just laying him down on the turf instead of hitting him. Hanratty went on to say that wasn’t the case for Spurrier as the Steelers defenders beat the hell out of him that day, sacking him four times. Pittsburgh won that first meeting 42-0 in a season that Tampa failed to win a single game.

The Steelers would win the next four games through the 1989 season, and the Bucs finally broke the ice in 1998 when they won in Tampa 16-3. After another four consecutive victories, Tampa won for only the second time in 2014 winning in Pittsburgh 27-24. Pittsburgh and Tampa met again in 2018 where the Steelers won on the road 30-27 and the last time these two teams met was four years ago in Pittsburgh with the Steelers prevailing 20-18. 

So aside from that first blowout, all the games have been close. 

WHEN THE STEELERS HAVE THE BALL

Tampa has allowed the second fewest yards rushing in the NFL. The Steelers will try to put a dent in that with a heavy dose of Jalen Warren. Opponents have averaged just 3.3 yards per carry when playing the Bucs and hit the end zone on the ground just twice. Per game they have yielded just 72.8 yards after four quarters. In the passing game they are doing well too seventh in the league. But the Steelers are in a rhythm and rolling.

Aaron Rodgers tied a Steelers team record sharing it with Terry Bradshaw by posting his third straight game with three touchdowns. The offense is clicking scoring 34 last week, 24 the week before, and 30 in the defeat of Cincinnati. Rodgers may not have Roman Wilson to throw to in this game but with the emergence of Germie Bernard, that should make up the difference. The other weapons are there for Rodgers…Warren, DK Metcalf, Pat Freiermuth, and Darnell Washington. It might be a bit of a challenge for Pittsburgh and Tampa has been in every game this season.

WHEN THE BUCCANEERS HAVE THE BALL

With Baker Mayfield still sidelined with an injured thumb, rookie Jalon Daniels will start at quarterback again for Tampa. In the upset of the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas’s defense allowed Daniels to play like a seasoned pro. In the past when Mike Tomlin was head coach, he has the reputation of making rookie quarterbacks play like rookies. Now we will see how Mike McCarthy prepares to defend against Tampa’s offense and the kid that went undrafted. 

In Dallas, Daniels completed 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards and one touchdown. He was sacked just once and did not throw an interception. Bucky Irving was a Cowboy killer rushing for an eye popping 21 rushes for 165 yards. His numbers were boosted by one 72-yard romp. Do not expect that same result on this Steelers defense. I expect Tampa to test the Steelers run defense by running Irving at them. If he can get into the secondary that is where the concern begins for Steelers fans. 

The tackling this season has been terrible. Nick Herbig will have to have a big game or make an impact as he was being counted on this season to be a big part of the defense and it seems his big contract he signed has either gone to his head or he just isn’t as good as what we believed in the past. 

INTANGIBLES

The Steelers should not take this game lightly. After all the Bucs upset the Cowboys. But right now, the Steelers are coming together, and Aaron Rodgers is looking like the man of old. I think Mike McCarthy takes every game more seriously than the other Mike named Tomlin. That, and with myself living in Florida I can attest to how many Steelers fans live here. So, consider those taking a nice warm weather trip south to be at the game and count in the Steelers fans living here and this should be like another road/home game for Pittsburgh. That and McCarthy knows their two losses came on the road so his team needs to prove they can win a road game.