Seahawks vs Steelers: 6 Things We Learned from Sunday's 24-0 Steelers Victory

The Pittsburgh Steelers' dominating 24-0 drubbing of the Seattle Seahawks couldn't be more different than their 35-7 loss to rival Baltimore in Week 1. While it remains to be seen which game is closer to reality, we learned a lot about the Steelers this week.

Here's a look at six of the things we've learned from the team's Week 2 victory.

The Defense Is Still a Work in Progress

Lesson:

The Steelers defense still needs some fine tuning before they're ready to face New England or another AFC heavyweight, but there was evidence of improvement against Seattle.

Analysis

The Steelers looked much-improved against the Seahawks. Part of that has to be taken with a grain of salt because the two opponents couldn't be more different or headed in more different directions.

The Steelers did have some hidden issues in the first half of this game, however. They didn't get a lot of pressure and weren't able to disengage blocks very well. They had trouble getting to Tarvaris Jackson and instead had to depend on Seattle's inexperience and also on their secondary.

In the second half, things look much more like 2010. The defense tightened up and the big names made some bigger plays. They still need to play a complete game, however.

Ben Roethlisberger Is the NFL's New Ironman

Lesson:

We already knew it, but Ben Roethlisberger is one of the toughest players in NFL history and is definitely the toughest and grittiest guy playing today.

Analysis

When you have a blowout victory, you have the luxury of looking at some more fun concepts. Here's one of those for you.

Roethlisberger has done this before. He's played with tons of little injuries and rarely misses a game or even a snap or two. He missed only a couple snaps against Seattle after another brutal hit that initially looked like something out of the little shop of Steelers horrors.

Roethlisberger came back and actually looked better during the third quarter of the game. He spent most of the fourth quarter handing off to run out the clock, but that's a big indication of how good and how tough this guy really is in a league that prides itself on toughness.

Red Zone Woes Will Continue in 2011

Lesson:

The Steelers need to get better inside the opponent's 20 yard line. They were able to score from there, but also seemed predictable and slower once they got down into the shadow of the endzone.

Analysis

While it took the Seahawks until halfway through the third quarter to get the ball into Pittsburgh territory, the Steelers were regularly able to get the ball into Seattle territory. The question became what would happen if they got it deep into that area.

I continue to be utterly unimpressed by Bruce Arians play calling. I'm utterly abhorrent of it once he gets inside the 20. He is predictable and single-minded. They always run on first and goal. They also always bring in the jumbo package.

I would say that the Steelers likely score in spite of their offensive coordinator more often than because of him. That's got to stop.

Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders Are Weapons

Lesson:

Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders are competing for who is the bigger young offensive weapon.

Analysis

Who would you rather have of these two guys?

The fact that the Steelers have both of them is part of the reason why the Steelers boast the NFL's best receiving corps. Sanders makes some of the best catches on the team and will likely be one of the best players possible to be paired with Mike Wallace.

Brown is a huge weapon on returns and on offense and his ability to play stop and go will make defenses crazy. There's almost no way to defend the Steelers if they have time to get the ball out there to the receivers.

Wallace and Hines Ward round out that receiving corps too, so this is a heavy weapon to wield against anyone.

The Steelers Are Better Than We Saw Against Baltimore

Lesson:

Last week looked like more aberration than reality. This week is probably a little more dominant than we can expect against better teams. The reality is probably, however, closer to this week.

Analysis

The Steelers were every bit as dominant this week as the Ravens were last week. The passing game was on track with Ben Roethlisberger finding all of his receivers. The defense had some early signs of mediocrity, but stepped up in the second half and shut down Seattle's hopes of mounting any kind of offense.

The offensive line wasn't great early but seemed to gel as the game progressed. That's going to be key as the games go on and the opponents get more difficult.

I was impressed with how the Steelers came together as a team and made people forget about last week's game. That needs to continue to happen.

Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman Are a Monster Tandem in the Making

Lesson:

The idea of making Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman more of a tandem seems to be paying dividends.

Analysis

Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman looked excellent during the first half of Sunday's game and seem to be heading toward that tandem that I've suggested during the offseason at multiple times.

Mendenhall looked like he had fresh legs even late in the game, something that didn't happen all the time last year. Isaac Redman looked like a capable NFL back that could take at least half of the offensive load.

Tandems were all rage in the NFL for awhile, but they've seemed to lose some luster as one back or the other has dominated more and more often. The Steelers could potentially use that tandem idea to their advantage and to get more help for their offense and Ben Roethlisberger.