Pittsburgh Steelers trends through two weeks show improvement in trouble areas from 2015

In 2015, and possibly before that as well, there were some glaring issues surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers. These issues weren't just located in the team's porous secondary last year, but also focused on the areas of the field which held the most importance, like the red-zone.

As the team prepares for their Week 3 tilt with cross-state rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, looking back at the statistics through the first two weeks shows the team has improved tremendously in some areas which used to be viewed as weaknesses.

Some of the issues the team had in the past:

- Red-zone Offense
- Red-zone Defense
- Punting inconsistencies
- 3rd Down Offense
- 3rd Down Defense

Take a look at some of the stats the Steelers have amassed through the first two weeks of the season (huge tip of the cap to 58Steel for helping compile these statistics):

3rd down improvement
Offense: 16 of 31, Defense: 7 of 26

Red Zone improvement
Offense: 5 of 5, Defense: 1 of 7

Rushing
Offense: 66 ATT, 271 yards, 2 TD, 4.1 YPC, Defense: 30 ATT, 101 yards, 1 TD, 3.4 YPC

Passing
Offense: 46 of 74, 559 yards, 7.66 Y/A, 6 TD, 3 INT, 2 sacks, Defense: 61 of 97, 689 yards, 7.1 Y/A, 1 TD, 2 INT, 1 sack

Time of possession (Average)
Steelers: 33:07, Opponents: 26:53

Punting
10 punts for 48.4 gross, 43.5 net, 5 inside the 20

Points (Average)
Offense: 31.0, Defense: 16.0

When this was compiled there was still one game left to play in Week 2, but the Steelers are No. 1 in points per offensive drive at 3.8, and No. 9 in points allowed per defensive drive at 1.6

In 2 games the Steelers have 15 1st downs rushing, their opponents have just 4.