Taking Stock of Pittsburgh Steelers Ahead of Week 11 Bye

The 6-4 Pittsburgh Steelers have a bye in Week 11, which is the perfect time for a playoff-contending team to rest, retool and prepare for the final six games of the season and beyond. 

It's been an interesting ride for the Steelers up to this point, to say the least. Injuries, suspensions and new faces playing prominent roles on both offense and defense have been hallmarks of the last 10 weeks. So where do things stand at this point in the Steelers' season? Let's take a look. 

Passing Offense

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The Steelers passing offense has been the team's biggest strength since 2012, when Todd Haley took over as the team's offensive coordinator. And that continues to be the case in 2015.

At first, it seemed like Pittsburgh's reign as one of the league's top passing offenses could be in jeopardy.

Running back Le'Veon Bell, who contributed 854 receiving yards in 2014, was set to serve a two-game suspension to start the year. Meanwhile, receiver Martavis Bryant, who totaled 549 yards and eight scores on 26 regular-season catches last year, opened the season with a four-game suspension and was not active until Week 6.

In addition, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered two injuries. First, it was an MCL sprain and bone bruise in Week 3's contest against the St. Louis Rams, which cost him four games. Then, it was a mid-foot sprain in Week 9—his second week back from his first injury—that was expected to keep him out for at least one week.

In Roethlisberger's absence, Mike Vick and then Landry Jones took over. Vick completed 40 of his 66 pass attempts, for 371 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while taking 10 sacks. His lack of experience in Pittsburgh's system was apparent. After he went down with an injury of his own, Jones took over, with much greater success.

Jones completed 31 of his 51 pass attempts for 479 yards, three scores and two interceptions while being sacked twice. He was the team's starter in Week 10 against the Cleveland Browns, but when he suffered a first-quarter ankle injury, Roethlisberger was called onto the field, heavily wrapped foot and all. 

So far this season, Roethlisberger has completed 141 of his 211 pass attempts, for 1,887 yards and has thrown 10 touchdowns against seven interceptions while being sacked 10 times. Because of his time out, Roethlisberger currently ranks 25th in total passing yards, but he also ranks ninth in passer rating and seventh in completion percentage. But he couldn't have done it without his supporting cast.

Even though Brown was held to under 50 receiving yards in four games this year, he's still the NFL's leading receiver, with 1,141 yards. He's also accounted for 431 yards after the catch and a team-leading 48 first downs. He's caught five touchdown passes and 16 of his receptions have gone for 20 or more yards.

Bryant, meanwhile, has 22 receptions for 440 yards and five scores despite only appearing in five games this season. Tight end Heath Miller has accounted for another 345 yards and a score, and four other Steelers have at least 100 receiving yards at this point.

Pittsburgh's passing offense is again the brightest spot on a team that hasn't had a shortage of positives this year. Roethlisberger should be healed up again for Week 12's meeting with the Seattle Seahawks, making the Steelers a dangerous team to face in the crucial final weeks of the season.

Rushing Offense

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Last year, Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell was the league's second-leading rusher, behind then-Dallas Cowboy DeMarco Murray. That output will not be repeated this year because of Bell's two-game suspension during Weeks 1 and 2 as well as the season-ending knee injury he suffered in Week 8. 

When on the field, though, Bell ran well—to the tune of 556 yards and three touchdowns on 113 carries. He averaged 92.7 yards per game and earned 27 first downs from rushing alone. But, unlike last year, the Steelers have a capable backup behind Bell in DeAngelo Williams. And when he's been called upon to start or spell Bell, he's looked like anything but a 32-year-old back.

In the first two weeks, Williams rushed 41 times for 204 yards and three scores. And in his Week 9 start against the Oakland Raiders, he had another 27 carries for 170 yards and two touchdowns. On the year, he's carried the ball 107 times, for 534 yards and five scores. Like Bell, he's accounted for 27 rushing first downs.

Williams was held to just 54 yards on 17 carries against the Cleveland Browns and their league-worst run defense in Week 10. That was partially owed to the Browns doubling down in trying to stop him (at the expense of giving up big chunks of passing yardage) and Williams dealing with inflammation in one of his feet, thanks to his big Week 9 workload.

The week off should do wonders for Williams' health. It's also possible that Jordan Todman or even Isaiah Pead could see more work in the coming weeks in order to keep Williams more fresh for what could eventually be a deep playoff run. 

Regardless, the Steelers rushing offense ranks third in the league in yardage and has a total of nine touchdowns so far this season. Whether it's with Bell, Williams or a combination of backs, the Steelers are running just as well as they did last year. Who is doing the running may have changed, but the Mike Munchak run-blocking scheme is a great fit for all of Pittsburgh's backs at this point.

Much like in 2014, the Steelers have a run game to rival their passing offense. 

Passing Defense

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The Steelers passing defense has been a mixed bag this year. It is currently ranked 30th in passing yards allowed, at 2,784 and has given up 17 passing touchdowns. But it is also ranked fifth in sacks with 28, up from 33 total in 2014.

This bend-but-don't-break approach has led to Pittsburgh's opponents scoring just 19.1 points per game on average and earning touchdowns in just 51.52 percent of their red-zone appearances. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh's offense is scoring an average of 23.6 points per game. With that said, these issues defending the pass are far less concerning than they would be if they were accompanied by a stagnant offense.

As long as Pittsburgh's defensive front can bring pressure, the volume of yardage allowed in the passing game is often negligible. Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel threw for 372 yards against the Steelers in Week 10, but he was sacked six times.

It's no coincidence that the Browns scored just nine points in that game. But it's also no coincidence that Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr wasn't sacked once and threw four touchdown passes in Pittsburgh's last-second Week 9 win.

When the pass rush is humming—which it has been more often than not this year—Pittsburgh's defense often gets the upper hand. That pass rush is led by defensive end Stephon Tuitt, who has 4.5 sacks, fellow defensive end Cameron Heyward, who has four, and rookie linebacker Bud Dupree, with four as well. Five other Steelers defenders have at least two sacks on the year.

But the Steelers have to make sure the pass rush remains consistent through the remainder of the season.

While cornerbacks Ross Cockrell and Antwon Blake each have two interceptions, Pro Football Focus notes that they have each given up three touchdowns this year. Safety Mike Mitchell leads the team with three interceptions and hasn't allowed a touchdown, but fellow safeties Robert Golden and Will Allen have allowed a combined six touchdowns to one interception.

That's how crucial it is that the front seven continue to make the secondary's life easier. As long as it can, then the glut of passing yards allowed won't result in multiple losses. Sacking quarterbacks and keeping opponents out of the end zone is how the Steelers passing defense can make up for its weaknesses. So far, it's managed to do so more often than not.

Rushing Defense

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The Steelers have one of the NFL's top rushing defenses in the league.

Through 10 games, they are allowing an average of 93 rushing yards per game, the fifth-best average in the league. Opposing offenses have reached 100 yards rushing against them just four times this year, despite teams trying to run against them 242 total times. The Steelers have also ceded just three rushing touchdowns this season, tied for second in the league.

Just as Pittsburgh's front seven has markedly improved in the pass-rushing department, they have also done so against the run. It starts with defensive end Cameron Heyward, who Pro Football Focus not only ranks as the Steelers' top run defender this year but also the league's sixth-best 3-4 defensive end. He leads the team with eight tackles for a loss. 

But it also carries through to other positions, such as nose tackle, where a healthy Steve McLendon is having his best year as a Steelers starter. And linebacker Ryan Shazier has also made his presence felt in his second season with 47 combined tackles, including six for a loss. Another bonus: The Steelers have forced nine fumbles in the run game this year.

Big runs aren't a common occurrence against Pittsburgh's defense this year. They've allowed only five that have gone over 20 yards and just one that has gone over 40 yards.

Teams aren't shying away from running against them. But when they do, the Steelers are making them pay for such foolishness. Bend-but-don't-break may be a hallmark of the passing defense, but against the run, the Steelers are refusing to bend, let alone break. 

Special Teams

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Special teams has been the shakiest area for the Steelers so far this year. It began in the preseason, when the Steelers lost kicker Shaun Suisham and then his replacement Garrett Hartley to season-ending injuries, forcing them to trade for the Jacksonville Jaguars' Josh Scobee.

Scobee's tenure in Pittsburgh was short-lived, as he missed four of his 10 field-goal attempts and one of his extra-point tries. The Steelers then turned to Chris Boswell, who had no NFL kicking experience before this year. It proved to be the right move.

So far, Boswell has made 14 of his 15 field-goal attempts, including three of his four tries from 40 to 49 yards out and his one attempt of 50-plus yards. He's also made 10 of his 11 extra-point attempts.

Punting and returning, though, have left the Steelers wanting.

Punter Jordan Berry, who beat out incumbent Brad Wing in the summer, is averaging a 29th-ranked 42.3 yards per punt, with 16 of them returned for a total of 150 yards. Receiver Antonio Brown remains the team's primary punt returner, with 13 returned for 107 yards, or an average of 8.2 yards per punt.

At kick returner, the Steelers chose to move on from Dri Archer in early November, after he returned 14 kickoffs for 324 yards, or an average of 25.3 yards per return. They replaced him with Jacoby Jones, who has fared worse. On four kick returns, he's totaled just 83 yards. He has also returned three punts for two yards.

It's clear the problem is not who is doing the returning but rather the blocking schemes that are keeping the Steelers from breaking out large chunks of return yards and improving their field position. But, on the flip side, the Steelers have done a good job of keeping their opponents from making huge gains on punt and kick returns. 

Pittsburgh is giving up an average of 21.1 yards on kick returns and 9.4 yards on punt returns, aided by such special teamers as fullback Roosevelt Nix and linebackers Anthony Chickillo, Vince Williams and Terence Garvin. And with how well the Steelers are playing on both offense and defense, any negatives in the field-position game have been well compensated for.

Still, the Steelers would like to see better punting from Berry and better kick and punt returns going forward.