Stairway+to+Seven

Stairway to Seven By Sam Co-Business Manager

The Pittsburgh Steelers have just passed the halfway point of the season, and their record is 6-5. The Cincinnati Bengal’s somehow managed to sweep both the Steelers and the Ravens, so they have the division clinched, even though they still need to play the lowly Cleveland Browns twice for the AFC North division title but it is unlikely that the Browns will pull any kind of spectacular upset. The hopes of the Pittsburgh Steelers are not totally lost as they can still make a wildcard spot in the playoffs. Some things would have to go the Steeler’s way, but it is possible and many fans still have faith in the Steeler’s. According to a survey of the students at BHS, more than 80 percent of students believe that the Steelers will still manage to secure a playoff spot. The Steelers still need to figure themselves out as their offense seems to be morphing into a passing team. In their match up with the Bengal’s, they ran the ball only 15 times, which is not nearly enough runs to even compliment the pass. 2nd year running back Rashard Mendenhall has stepped up and produced this year. Mendenhall showed that he can handle a heavy workload. The Steelers need to utilize Mendenhall in the offense and get him more touches in order to balance the offense. Ben Roethlisberger is a great quarterback, but in order to be efficient in the passing game, a quarterback must trick the defense and get the safeties to cheat up, but to do that running the ball is a necessity. Recurring injuries to safety Troy Polamalu have affected the Steeler defense, so the secondary has experienced increased difficulty in their coverage’s without Polamalu. The Steelers have played great football so far this season however, consistency seems to be the only issue. Many fans could lay the blame for their losses on many different players and coaches, but the key is to just maintain a balanced offense of running and passing, and to keep up their powerful defense. The Steeler’s special teams need some work, as they have given up four return touchdowns throughout the season so far. Head Coach Mike Tomlin says that he will change the lineup for the kick coverage team, hopefully taking kick returner Stefan Logan out of the lineup and putting James Harrison back into it. The Steelers have given up returns to the Browns, Vikings, Chiefs, and Bengals. The returns given up have caused the games to be closer than they should be. The last time the Steelers gave up more than 3 kickoff returns for touchdowns was in 1986. The entire AFC North division lost in week 11 and it was not a good loss for any of the teams, considering who they played. The Steelers lost to the Chiefs, the Bengals lost to the Raiders, the Browns lost to the Lions, and the Ravens lost to the Colts. If the Steelers had won this week it would greatly increase their chances of making the playoffs, but they lost so they have about the same amount of hope as before. The Steelers gave up yet another kick return for a touchdown against the Chiefs, which goes to show everyone that they really need some work on special teams. Another significant 50 yard punt return in overtime caused the Steelers to lose the game, and the 85 yards in penalties against the Steelers had a large hand in the matter. Large mistakes that the Steelers had made were the reason the team lost the game. The total net yards for the Steelers ended up at 515 yards while the total net yards for the Chiefs were a mere 282 yards. The Steelers seemed to beat the Chiefs in every aspect of the game except for the score; they doubled the Chief’s time of possession 44 minutes to 22 and almost doubled their red zone efficiency 60% to 33%. The Steelers have experienced a rollercoaster season with many high and low points, and still have hopes to make the playoffs.