After two lackluster 8-8 seasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers desperately needed to succeed in 2014. The schedule looked great, and it was almost a given the Steelers would get at least ten wins. Antonio Brown looked better than ever last year – 1499 yards for eight touchdowns – and Le’Veon Bell was supposed to have a very good season based on his performance in 2013. During his rookie season, he had 244 carries for 860 yards and eight touchdowns (only one fumble) and was the best rookie running back in the AFC. On the other side of the ball, the defense is still getting older, even with the addition this year of Ryan Shazier.
The Defense: An Aging Group
The team went 3-3 after the first six games, with a terrible loss against the Buccaneers (who were 1-3 at the time and finished the season 2-14). They also were 2-2 in the AFC North after a tough loss 31-10 against the Cleveland Browns. Another big loss against the New York Jets (2-8) on November 9th put the Steelers 6-5, still in the Wild Card hunt, but nothing was sure. The defense was shaky, injuries were piling up for the defense (Shazier, Jones, Polamalu, Taylor) and the organization had to bring back the retired James Harrison.
The veterans Brett Keisel and Harrison stepped up and the defense started to play better and generate plays. William Gay had three pick-sixes. Nevertheless, the secondary was not at their best all season, allowing way too many big plays. The team ranked 25th league-wide in interceptions (only 11 but tied with Houston for teams with most interceptions returned for touchdowns: four). They ranked 20th in forced fumbles and 26th in sacks, with 33. Jason Worilds and Cameron Heyward led the team with 7.5 sacks and James Harrison, 36 years old, was third with 5.5. In quarterback hurries, Worilds leads the team with 12, which is 33rd in the league (far from J.J. Watt’s astonishing 30).
The Offense: The Three Bs Strike Again in 2014
Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell had the best season of their respective careers, carrying the team in most games while the defense could not stop the opponents. Let’s take a look at some of the details of these three talented players’ campaigns in 2014:
- Big Ben broke six of the seven franchise records he already had in the passing game. He completed 408 passes while attempting 608. He also had 4,952 yards while on top of the passing ranking in the NFL (tied with Drew Brees). He threw for 32 touchdowns, tying his own personal record from 2007, and another 500-yard game making him the only NFL player to do it twice in his career (2009 and 2014). Finally, he is the only player in history who has two consecutive games with six or more touchdown passes.
- Antonio Brown broke his own franchise record as well with 129 receptions and 1,698 yards (leading the NFL this season). With 13 touchdowns, he leads the Steelers organization in touchdowns in a single season. He also holds the NFL record for consecutive games with five or more pass receptions (ongoing with 32), seven or more pass receptions (ongoing with 11) and eight or more pass receptions (eight). To finish, he’s leading the NFL with 32 consecutive games with 50+ receiving yards.
- Le’Veon Bell had a career-high 1,361 rushing yards, making him second in rushing yards behind only DeMarco Murray of the Cowboys. He was also second in yards from scrimmage with 2,215 – only 46 yards behind Murray. No running back in the league had more receiving yards than Bell as he finished with 854. He proved he was capable of great blocks too, which were greatly missed by the team during the playoff game against the Ravens.
Heath Miller was back this season after the terrible injury he suffered last season. He did his job, catching passes at the right moments but also as a terrific blocker. The offensive line was impressive as well, allowing Big Ben to take his time (as he usually does). Linebacker Lawrence Timmons took a leading role at that position and received a Pro Bowl selection.
Road to the Super Bowl?
Unfortunately for the Steelers, even though they finished the season strong in December (with 2 crucial wins against Cincinnati giving them the AFC North title), they failed at home against the Ravens. Le’Veon Bell, who suffered a knee injury during the last game of the regular season, was not on the field. The defense forgot to show up as well which resulted in an awful 30-17 loss. The organization had a winning record for the first time in three years, but it wasn’t enough. At the end of day, Pittsburgh was eliminated in the Wild Card round against Baltimore.
What Can We Expect from the Pittsburgh Steelers Next Season?
Jason Worilds, Ike Taylor, Matt Spaeth, Brice McClain, Arthur Moats, Will Allen and James Harrison are going to become unrestricted free agents. Antwon Blake and Brad Wing will be restricted free agents.
The defense proved to be unable to respond all the time, and it may be necessary to take action and move on from the players that used to be great but can’t seem to perform anymore such as Ike Taylor. He is a great leader but on the field, Brice McClain or William Gay were able to generate plays, which Taylor wasn’t. Also on the secondary, Troy Polamalu is not what he used to be, and Mike Mitchell has not panned out the way the Steelers thought. It’s time to draft or get someone else to cover the end zone. Ryan Shazier and Jarvis Jones are still young and need to progress to help the team. It’s also time to resign Jason Worilds who’s leading the team in sacks and quarterback hurries.
The offensive side of the ball, on the other hand, seems to have as bright a future as you can fathom. Ben Roethlisberger, even though he’s 32 years old, had the best season of his career. The wide receiver group, led by Antonio Brown, is getting better. Martavis Bryant had a phenomenal rookie season with eight touchdowns. Markus Wheaton was efficient enough. Josh Harris could become a good backup for Le’Veon Bell who has been astonishing. However, Heath Miller is getting older and it may be time to look for a replacement (Matt Spaeth could not be resigned). He is still a great asset though so he probably still has a couple of good seasons ahead of him.
Overall, the Steelers are back on track after two forgettable seasons. They showed some good things even though everything is not perfect. It could be one of those transition seasons, where they got to see what was working and what was not. The question is, will they take action?
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