6 Ways the Pittsburgh Steelers Can Continue to Turn Their Season Around

The Pittsburgh Steelers got off to a rough start to the 2012 season with a record of 2-3 going into the Sunday Night matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7.

With a big win against the Bengals coupled with a loss by the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers are right back on track.

One win does not solve all of the team's problems, however. Here are some things the Steelers can do to possibly win two games in a row this season.

Smart Play-Calling

I’m getting this one out of the way first because of how hard I’ve been on Todd Haley’s play-calling so far this season.

Although he still tends to be a bit predictable, which is why the offense stalls for chunks of every game, Haley actually called a pretty good game on Sunday. 

With the defense definitely not as good as it has been the past few years, the offense needs to carry this team and Haley needs to continue getting better every week.

Stop the Penalties

Although the Steelers have been a magnet over the past few seasons for roughing-the-passer penalties, this year they just look undisciplined.

Against the Bengals, the Steelers' special teams looked like they just had something against Antonio Brown because almost every good return he had got called back.

The sad thing is that they average more penalties at home than on the road, which has been a huge reason for the team's slow start.

Pressure the Quarterback

The Steelers had zero sacks this week and barely touched Andy Dalton in their Week 7 win. (LaMarr Woodley registered the only two QB hits for the team.)

The Steelers only have 11 sacks so far for the season, with Jason Worilds leading the charge with a grand total of three. 

With all of the injuries this year to James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley, Dick LeBeau needs to figure out a way to get more pressure on the opposing quarterback.

Play the Young Guys

Despite being ranked second and ninth against the pass and the run respectively, the defense has been awful at times this season and blew fourth quarter leads in all three of the Steelers’ losses. 

I am not one of the people who thinks the Steelers are too old, but their veterans just aren't playing well right now.

Guys like Steve McLendon, Cameron Heyward and Robert Golden should be getting more playing time, especially considering the poor play by some of their older stalwarts. 

Keep Protecting the Ball

Before coughing the ball up twice in their win against the Bengals, the Steelers had not had a turnover in either of their wins.

The team in general has been great at protecting the ball, and their quarterback is a big reason for that. Big Ben has only three interceptions and one fumble lost this season.

The other two turnovers came in the form of fumbles by Antonio Brown and Jonathan Dwyer against the Raiders. Let’s hope they can keep the freebies down to a minimum going forward.

Throw Heath the Ball

There were a lot of people questioning whether or not Heath Miller would be with the team much longer after a couple of down years statistically.

Heath has come back this season with 31 receptions, 290 yards and five touchdowns, the most he’s had since 2009.

The point of this story is that there really isn’t a reason why Heath shouldn’t be targeted every time the Steelers get to the red zone.