Steelers vs. Panthers: Breaking Down Pittsburgh's Game Plan

It is hard to characterize a game in the third week of the NFL season as a "must-win," but for the Pittsburgh Steelers, this is pretty close. After dropping a prime-time road game against the Baltimore Ravens last Thursday, things don't get any easier.

This time around, after a long week, the Steelers travel to Carolina to take on the 2-0 Panthers. That's the bad news. The good news is Pittsburgh has had some extra time to prepare for Carolina, and the hope is that the problems that have plagued the Steelers in the first two weeks can be corrected. 

Let’s break down some keys to victory for the Steelers on both sides of the football.

When the Steelers are on offense

Even at 1-1, the offense has looked downright spectacular at times. The Steelers are averaging 402 yards of offense per game, though only 18 points. If the Steelers want to beat the Panthers, their long drives must end in points. Not turnovers, and they must not stall out from penalties. On too many drives this season, Pittsburgh has been unable to get out of its own way.

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Another area of concern is protecting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. In particular, right tackle Marcus Gilbert has really struggled early on. Roethlisberger has been sacked five times in the first two games, with four of those coming from Gilbert.

Gilbert is going to have his hands full with defensive end Charles Johnson, so count on Pittsburgh getting him help with either a tight end or a back on his side.

Committing an extra man in protection sends one fewer out into the route. This will force wide receivers Antonio Brown and Markus Wheaton to carry the brunt of the load in the passing game. The best thing that could happen is to have a healthy Lance Moore back to line up in the slot. Roethlisberger has been productive but not terribly efficient early on.

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Ben Roethlisberger leads AFC with 582 passing yards, but he's 24th in NFL with 82.0 passer rating.

— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) September 16, 2014"

Pittsburgh has had considerable success running the football with second-year running back Le’Veon Bell. Bell is averaging 84 yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry. Most of his touches are coming off of delay handoffs out of the shotgun. You have to assume that defensive tackle Star Lotulelei and middle linebacker Luke Kuechly will make that much tougher sledding this week. 

Nick Wass/Associated Press

So how does Pittsburgh counter all of this? They need to dip into the 2013 playbook a little. Use the wide receiver screens, the screen-and-go and more crossing looks. These play concepts get the ball out of Roethlisberger’s hand quickly and take pressure off the offensive line. It also stretches the Panthers defense horizontally, which will give Bell lanes to run through.

However, the most important thing is to finish. Take care of the football, and no foolish penalties that squash scoring drives. Carolina is too good to give up drives and field position with mental errors.

When the Steelers are on defense

The Panthers haven’t exactly been elite on offense to start the season, but with the return of quarterback Cam Newton, the sky is the limit. Newton threw for 281 yards in his only game this season, so he must be the focal point of the Steelers’ defense.

But how does a defense that has given up 356 yards per game so far defend against a weapon like Newton? It is all about getting back to basics. Sound fundamental football is what Pittsburgh needs to win this game. That means no long plays. NFL.com’s Gil Brandt lays it out there.

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Defenses that have given up most big plays (10+ run, 20+ pass): Jaguars (21), Steelers (19), Colts (18), Raiders (17), Bears (17).

— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) September 17, 2014"

A good start on this would be to get back to the concept of “tackle the route”. It is one thing to give up a pass play, but if you tackle the route when the catch is made, drives will stall out. The Panthers are going to focus their attack through wide receivers Kelvin Benjamin and Jerricho Cotchery as well as tight end Greg Olsen.

A daunting task for the Steelers defense. Rather than focus on not allowing catches, they must make sure to stop these guys who get buckets of yards after the catch.

USA TODAY Sports

Can Pittsburgh pressure Newton? Maybe, but not by doing what they have done to this point. With Newton’s ability to run, Pittsburgh is going to have to play zone, so Newton isn’t seeing turned backs.

That means pressure is going to have to come in very traditional ways. Maybe this is the week that linebackers Jarvis Jones and Jason Worilds break out and beat a tackle off the snap. If not, and Newton has time, he is going to pick this defense apart.

Predictions

Pittsburgh had a tough draw with two prime-time road games to start the season like this. Last Thursday, Pittsburgh went into Baltimore and got drummed by the Ravens. It is hard to feel optimistic about another road trip into hostile territory.

The player to watch on offense for the Steelers is Gilbert. Let’s all hope the light comes on this weekend so Roethlisberger doesn’t take a 60-minute beating off that edge. 

Nick Wass/Associated Press

On defense, safety Mike Mitchell needs to make amends for a horrific performance against the Ravens. Carolina hasn’t run the ball a ton to this point, but they have the talent to do so. Mitchell is going to be the last line of defense, and Pittsburgh cannot have a repeat of last week.

Pittsburgh can win this game. There’s no doubt. If they can keep the Panthers in check early in the game, they can get an early lead. This would allow them to lean on Bell and the running game. Unfortunately, if the game is close, those mental mistakes are going to creep in. This team is going to win some games, but this weekend the Steelers continue to try to find their way and lose a close one to the Panthers.

Panthers 28, Steelers 21

All stats courtesy of NFL.com.