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Football is the ultimate team game, and you win and lose as a team every time you step foot on the gridiron. But while all this is true, it also should be noted that when the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are now 1-4 after losing to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5, are being discussed, not all is negative.
In fact, there are some very real positives surrounding this team, even though their start to the season has been dismal at best. The folks at Pro Football Focus (PFF) broke won the overtime loss to the Ravens, and gave some good factors regarding the game, along with the bad.
See what they had to say:
Pittsburgh defensive interior Cameron Heyward disrupted the Ravens’ offense all game. He recorded multiple pressures and should finish reviews as one of the Steelers’ highest-graded players on the defensive side of the ball.
Mike Hilton had a strong outing against Baltimore. He had multiple defensive stops and came away with an interception in coverage.
Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster had a roller-coaster of a game Sunday. He started off strong, taking his second catch 35 yards for a touchdown against Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey. The Ravens cornerback got the last laugh, however, as he punched the ball out of Smith-Schuster’s grasp in overtime to set up the Ravens’ game-winning field goal.
The Steelers’ offensive line did a solid job of keeping its quarterbacks clean. Despite facing a variety of stunts, the unit gave both Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges substantial time to throw throughout the game.
The Steelers are a work in progress, but a team that has several bright spots throughout 5 weeks of the season.
For instance, the team’s 19 sacks has them in 3rd among all NFL teams behind the Patriots and Panthers, and on top of that their 12 takeaways is tied with New England for most in the league through 5 games.
Say what you want, but that is a drastic improvement from 2018, especially in the takeaway department. But what say you? What areas of the 2019 Steelers have been positives so far this season? If you can think of anything, let us know in the comment section below, and be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest and greatest surrounding the black-and-gold as they prepare for the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 6.