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Steelers: Three Takeaways From Week Nine Win

Chris Ross

The Pittsburgh Steelers continued to win in Week Nine with a victory over the Indianapolis Colts and there are plenty of takeaways from the game.

Another game is in the books for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and after their Week Nine victory over the Indianapolis Colts, the Steelers suddenly find themselves right back in playoff contention. After a 1-4 start to the year, this team looked dead in the water, but in battling back to .500, Pittsburgh has shown plenty of resilience and as a result, finds themselves squarely back in the playoff picture. It hasn’t always been the prettiest. Still, before we start to point out all the problems the Steelers have, it’s important to take a second and acknowledge the impressive ability to overcome adversity.

With that in mind, this win was an ugly one. For long periods of Sunday’s matchup, the Steelers looked like a much worse team than the Colts. The defense, which has made so much progress this season, was up-and-down while the offense was conservative and settled for four field goals. If Adam Vinatieri hadn’t shanked the potential game-winner, this game would have a much different feel. That said, a win is a win, no matter how it comes along.

In the coming weeks, the Steelers have an excellent opportunity to climb back up the AFC standings. Over the next four weeks, the Steelers will play the Los Angeles Rams in a difficult but winnable game. After that, the Steelers will play the disappointing Cleveland Browns twice with a matchup against the lowly Cincinnati Bengals sandwiched in-between.

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After those four weeks, Pittsburgh then takes on the Arizona Cardinals in a game that, while not the automatic win it once was, should still end in a Steelers victory. Then a tough matchup with Buffalo is on the schedule, and the final two games coming against the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens. Considering that schedule, the Steelers could, in theory, enter Week 17 with 11 wins and ready for a game that seems likely to determine the division winner.

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, however, let’s see what we can take away from the Steelers effort in Week Nine.

This Steelers Defense is Incredibly Talented

The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t have their best defensive performance in Week Nine, allowing journeyman Brian Hoyer to carve them up to the tune of three touchdowns while Marlon Mack put up 89 rushing yards, but even in this effort, we saw just how incredibly talented this unit is. Three players, in particular, stood out in this one.

First off, Minkah Fitzpatrick, yet again, showed that he is well worth the trade that brought him over from the Miami Dolphins. Not only did he intercept his fourth pass of the season, which is the most for a Steelers defender since 2010, but he took that pick 96 yards for a touchdown that kept the Steelers in the game early. After Pittsburgh once again came out slow, Fitzpatrick’s pick-six provided some much-needed momentum. As has been the case since he joined the Steelers, Fitzpatrick came through when the team needed him the most.

While Fitzpatrick was incredible in this contest, the Steelers edge-rushing duo of T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree were equally impressive. As good as Hoyer was, his numbers would have looked even better had he not been under constant pressure from the two outside linebackers. Dupree, who has come on strong in a contract year, had two sacks and continued to look like an essential part of the Steelers’ defensive future. Meanwhile, Watt chipped in 1.5 sacks of his own and once again looked like a guy with the potential to be one of the NFL’s premier sack artists. Pressuring the quarterback is more important than ever in the NFL, and the Steelers have one of the league’s most promising pass-rushing duos.

Again, this wasn’t the Steelers’ best performance on defense, but there were still visible signs of talent. Between the aforementioned players and guys like Devin Bush and Cam Heyward, Pittsburgh’s defense is special.

Mason Rudolph May Not Be a Long-Term Answer

When the Steelers lost Ben Roethlisberger early in the season, it put second-year man Mason Rudolph in a tough position. Unexpectedly taking over as a starting quarterback is never an easy task, but this was a particularly tricky situation considering the guy Rudolph replaced is a franchise legend, and this is a franchise that generally has very high expectations for success. That said, the team had belief in their young quarterback, expressing confidence that he is the future of the position. After watching him play so far; however, it may be time to reassess that stance.

Rudolph hasn’t necessarily been bad, but that’s a far cry from saying he’s been good. Offensive Coordinator Randy Fichtner’s horrific play-calling (more on that later) hasn’t helped matters, but at the end of the day, it’s up to the player to execute, and Rudolph has been hit-or-miss in that area. The most significant area of concern is his hesitancy to throw downfield. Despite his college success coming almost exclusively through the deep ball, Rudolph has become a conservative, check-down passer. It’s hard for offenses to thrive when only throwing the ball less than five yards down the field, and unfortunately, that’s all Rudolph seems comfortable doing.

It’s too early to give up on Mason Rudolph completely, but significant improvement is needed if he hopes to remain a viable long-term option. Unless he starts to trust his arm and make explosive plays, Rudolph may be better suited as a backup and not “the guy” for Pittsburgh moving forward. It’s not time to give up just yet, but with continued offensive struggles, Rudolph’s leash may start getting even shorter.

Randy Fichtner’s Play-Calling Is Still Horrible

Although Rudolph deserves plenty of blame for the passing attack’s struggles, Offensive Coordinator Randy Fichtner hasn’t been much better. Roethlisberger’s hand-picked coordinator, Fichtner, is starting to show everyone that he is just not creative enough to call plays for an NFL-caliber offense. In past years with talent like Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown Fichtner’s offense was solid, but the mark of a good coach is being able to adapt, and Fichtner simply hasn’t done that. His schemes are outdated, and far too often, he doesn’t put his players in positions to succeed.

For proof, look no further than JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner. Both immensely talented players, neither have lived up to expectations this season, and that’s primarily due to the scheme they are in. The Steelers basically have three rushing plays that are called over and over again, and the passing game is so short-pass based that it’s wholly negated Smith-Schuster’s deep speed. Between a quarterback that is scared to throw deep and a coordinator that seems to use a Magic Eightball to call his plays, the offense has been a disaster.

In today’s NFL, there are so many creative schemes, and coaches are better than ever at putting their players in positions to thrive. Fichtner, however, continues to draw up uninspiring game plans that defenses are quick to figure out. He’s putting this offense in a nearly-impossible situation to produce, and until things change, we will continue to watch a talented offense get ruined by horrific play-calling.