Entering week two of the NFL regular season, the Pittsburgh Steelers were looking to show more than they had in Week one. Their week one victory over the Cleveland Browns left a lot to be desired. On the other hand, the Minnesota Vikings looked impressive in their week one victory over the New Orleans Saints. Thus, Minnesota looked to be a big test for Pittsburgh entering week two. However, Pittsburgh showed vast improvement, winning the season’s home opener 26-9 over the vikings. Winning the penalty battle, defensive pressure, and the reliable leg of Chris Boswell all helped contribute to the victory.
Week Two Pittsburgh Steelers Takeaways
1) Converting on Penalties
Last week, one of the many issues with the Steelers performance was the sloppy play in regards to penalties. While the Steelers still committed 10 penalties totaling 72 yards, they won the penalty battle. The Vikings committed 11 penalties, totaling 131 yards. More importantly, the Steelers capitalized on the Vikings penalties.
On Pittsburgh’s second offensive drive, they went three and out, but picked up a first down due to a Vikings defender jumping off sides on fourth and one. Two plays later, the Steelers picked up another 22 yards on a pass interference call. The drive ended when Ben Roethlisberger found Martavis Bryant for a 27 yard touchdown. On the next drive, a 49 yard pass interference call set up the Steelers on the Vikings 12 yard line. They capitalized three plays later with a JuJu Smith-Schuster three yard shovel pass for a touchdown. Converting on the Vikings mistakes gave the Steelers an early 14-0 lead.
2) Keenum Under Pressure
On the defensive side of the ball, pressure applied to backup quarterback Case Keenum proved prosperous for Pittsburgh. The Steelers hit Keenum seven times on Sunday, dominating the Vikings offensive line play in and out. Keenum started for the Vikings in place of Sam Bradford who was dealing with a knee injury. Rookie linebacker T.J. Watt looked great gain, finishing the game with two tackles and a pass deflection. Watt left early, however, with a groin injury, but said after the game it isn’t serious. The defense looked strong in week two and will hopefully continue to improve with its young base.
3) The Wizard of Boz Keeps Rolling
Chris Boswell looked to be in midseason form on Sunday, drilling four second half field goals. Boswell capped all of Pittsburgh’s scoring drives in the second half, helping them pad the lead they built in the first half. Boswell converted on field goals from 46, 29, 36, and 43 yards respectively. The key to any efficient offense is a reliable kicker, and Pittsburgh has just that with Boswell. If he can continue this throughout the season, he may just be the key to the Steelers making a Super Bowl run.
The week two victory was a very comfortable one for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The offense still looked sluggish at times, but was more vibrant than they were against the Browns. The defense looked a lot better this week, with the secondary even showing signs of improvement. The Steelers look to add another win to their record next week, when they travel to play the Chicago Bears.
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