Analyzing Top Takeaways from Pittsburgh Steelers' Win on Sunday Night Football

After a 43-23 drubbing of division rivals the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football from Heinz Field, one thing is clear―the Pittsburgh Steelers are the team to beat in the AFC North. With an exciting passing attack, opportunistic defense and the development of some unlikely contributors, the Steelers are a team built to make a playoff push for the first time since the 2011 season. 

The Pittsburgh Passing Game is for Real

Ben Roethlisberger is an elite quarterback. Anyone who has watched the signal-caller during his 11-year career should already know this. Unfortunately, in a sports world where a fantasy football superstar garners the "elite" tag, it took some gaudy fantasy performances for national-media pundits to catch up.

After a franchise-record 522-yard, six-touchdown showing against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 8, Roethlisberger's encore was just as spectacular, passing for 340 yards and another six touchdowns against Baltimore.

Notice anything about this sixth and final touchdown pass to tight end Matt Spaeth with two minutes to go?

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VINE - Matt Spaeth Pass From Ben Roethlisberger for 33 Yrds and the TD. Big Ben's 6th of the night #BALvsPIT https://t.co/XJTZGGQVxm

— FanSided GIF (@FanSidedGIF) November 3, 2014"

One of the many complaints about Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley was the lack of downfield attacking in the passing game. As reported by Dejan Kovacevic at DK on Pittsburgh Sports, in the seven games entering the Indy game, only 30 of the team's 252 attempted passes had been aimed at the middle of the field and 10 yards or farther in the air.

I used the motto #FreeBigBen in my preview of the game, and Pittsburgh did just that. Against the Ravens, Roethlisberger threw five touchdowns at least 15 yards downfield, an NFL record.

Also, notice the time left on the clock. With under two minutes left, the Steelers could have easily punted the ball back to Baltimore with a few minutes remaining. Instead, they were aggressive, using a killer mentality to put their opponent away.

Getting back to a vertical passing attack with bunch formations and the utilization of the tight end, less a horizontal one fixated on bubble screens and quick dumps, has ignited the Pittsburgh offense.

What has always made Roethlisberger a special quarterback since his rookie season was a little statistic called YPA or yards per attempt. This measures the average yards a quarterback throws the ball on every pass attempt. This statistic is such a significant barometer because it has a direct correlation to an offense's ability to move the ball. Roethlisberger currently ranks sixth in yards per attempt in NFL history.

As pointed out by Anthony Defeo at BehindTheSteelCurtain.com, in Roethlisberger's three Super Bowl appearances, he was ranked in the top three in YPA in two of those seasons. Of the last 12 Super Bowl champions, 11 had players ranked in the top 10 in YPA during the regular season.

For fans of the Steelers, this is a welcome change, and one that has lifted the team from a mediocre team to a surefire playoff contender.

The Pittsburgh Defense is Improving

Turnovers have been an Achilles' heel for the Steelers in their last two fruitless 8-8 seasons. In 2013 for instance, Pittsburgh went the first four games of the season without forcing a turnover. The result? The team stumbled out of the gate with an unprecedented 0-4 start.

The Steelers have turned the corner this season, especially during their recent three-game winning streak, stealing possession away from the opposition seven times in that span.  

Christopher Horner/ Trib Total Media

Arthur Moats' strip-fumble of Ravens running back Lorenzo Taliaferro during the second quarter of the Sunday Night Football game proved to be a turning point. Baltimore was up 7-0, and Pittsburgh was struggling on offense. The Steelers produced seven points off the turnover with a five-yard pass to Le'Veon Bell to tie the game.

Another sorely missed equation on the team is the development of a pass rush. In the past two contests, Steelers defensive coordinator Dick Lebeau has dialed up immense pressure on the opposing quarterback, leading to six sacks and three interceptions.

James Harrison was a big reason for that, as his pressures rattled Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco all night, leading to incompletions and a big interception by linebacker Jason Worilds.

This video is just one of the many hard hits Joe Flacco took on the night. The Steelers often lined Harrison up behind defensive end Brett Keisel and stunted Harrison into the teeth of the offensive line. Harrison got home more often than not.

The establishment of a pass rush has lessened the burden on Pittsburgh's pass protection, allowing the team to thrive with relatively unknown players such as Brice McCain and Antwon Blake in the defensive backfield.

Contributors Old and New

Most people didn't know who Martavis Bryant was three games ago. Everyone knows who he is now. The rookie has erupted for five touchdowns in three games after being inactive for the first six games of his career, tying an NFL record set by former Steelers player Eric Green, according to Tony Crumpton at Tigernet.com. 

This catch in traffic is a welcome sight for Steelers fans, who have been waiting for a tall red-zone threat to emerge on the team since the loss of Plaxico Burress about a decade ago.

Bryant isn't the only young, surprise contributor on the team. The aforementioned cornerbacks McCain and Blake have provided excellent coverage in the absence of injured starter Ike Taylor and an ineffective Cortez Allen. 

Old guys have come back to mix in with a developing young squad. It's easy to point to Keisel and Harrison here, who weren't even members of the team when training camp began. Keisel has been a nuisance clogging up the middle for the Pittsburgh defensive line.

The Steelers also have done a great job of substituting personnel in the front seven, incorporating Worilds, Keisel, Moats, Harrison,Ryan Shazier, Cam Thomas, Cameron Heyward, Lawrence Timmons, Daniel McCullers and Steve Mclendon into the defense the last few games. 

Peter Diana/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Harrison looks close to his 2008 form, the year he won the AP Defensive Player of the Year award. Coach Mike Tomlin gave much praise to the outside linebacker, who was signed by the team after a slew of injuries to the defense in a 37-19 Week 3 win over the Carolina Panthers.

"He is not a regular guy. He is James Harrison," coach Tomlin told Kevin Patra of NFL.com. "He is getting up to speed and getting into shape and doing James Harrison-like things, which quite frankly is what we expect."

With a devastating aerial attack, a developing defense and contributions from old and new, Pittsburgh looks well on its way to its first playoff appearance in three years.

The struggling Tennessee Titans and New York Jets represent winnable obstacles before a Week 12 bye. It's not hard to imagine, barring the team suffers a trap game similar to the loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this year, the Steelers rolling into the bye with an 8-3 record. A playoff appearance would only follow.

All statistics courtesy of NFL.com.

All records courtesy of Elias Sports Bureau (subscription required).