Full Week 1 Stat Predictions for the Pittsburgh Steelers' Offense

I don’t know about everyone else, but personally I’m ready to finally see what the 2013 Pittsburgh Steelers are going to look like in a regular-season game.

The team has come out completely flat to start the past two seasons, and they just finished the preseason 0-4.

The regular season is upon us, though, and here are predictions for every offensive player versus the Tennessee Titans. 

Quarterback

Ben Roethlisberger

20-of-32, 250 yards, 2 touchdowns

The Steelers offense always seems to start off sluggish, which is why I see Ben’s completion percentage being on the lower side.

That being said, the team should be able to run the ball more effectively, which will allow Ben to use play action more.

One of Ben’s touchdown passes will come in the red zone to Will Johnson and the other on a long pass to Emmanuel Sanders.

After a troubled start to the game, I see Ben settling in and having a decently efficient first game of the season.

Running Back/Full Back

Isaac Redman

15 carries, 60 yards, 1 touchdown, 3 receptions, 25 yards

LaRod Stephens-Howling

12 carries, 30 yards, 1 receptions, 10 yards

Felix Jones

5 carries, 18 yards

Will Johnson

2 receptions, 15 yards, 1 touchdown

Though Isaac Redman is now healthy and cleared to be the starter, the team is most likely going to split carries with LaRod Stephens-Howling and Felix Jones.

Before getting hurt, Stephens-Howling showed really good quickness and burst to help out in the running game.

Jones was able to beat out Jonathan Dwyer for a roster spot, but I still don’t see him taking away that many carries from Redman and Stephens-Howling.

This is assuming Will Johnson will be healthy enough to play in the game, but he should give the team a good red-zone threat with Heath Miller still injured.

Honestly, I’m hoping the running game is even more successful than what I have here. However, as I’ve said in this article, the team always starts off very slow offensively.

Wide Receiver

Antonio Brown

5 receptions, 50 yards

Emmanuel Sanders

4 receptions, 90 yards, 1 touchdown

Markus Wheaton

2 receptions, 30 yards

Jerricho Cotchery

1 reception, 15 yards

Antonio Brown is going to go through the transition of being covered by each opponent's best corner and may not get as open as he’s used to getting.

If healthy, Emmanuel Sanders has shown great ability and he should be a huge factor in the opening game.

Markus Wheaton is the one guy I could see getting a lot more action than what I have here. He showed that he can be electric with the ball in his hands, but I’m just not convinced that the offense is going to explode in this game.

I really hope I’m wrong about that and the offense starts the season off right, but I just can’t predict that at this point.  

Tight End

David Paulson

2 receptions, 15 yards

We were all looking for someone to step up in the absence of Heath Miller and Matt Spaeth, but unfortunately no one really did.

David Paulson was even passed on the depth chart by David Johnson because of how bad he showed as a blocker this preseason.

Johnson has yet to prove to be a reliable receiver, though, which is why I have Paulson making it on to the stat sheet in the opening game.