{"id":35701,"date":"2017-12-26T11:25:01","date_gmt":"2017-12-26T16:25:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=35701"},"modified":"2017-12-26T11:25:01","modified_gmt":"2017-12-26T16:25:01","slug":"week-16-gut-reactions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2017\/12\/26\/week-16-gut-reactions\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 16 Pittsburgh Steelers Gut Reactions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Merry Christmas! With a dominating 34-6 victory over the Houston Texans<\/strong><\/a> the Pittsburgh Steelers<\/strong><\/a> got a visit from Santa. Under their proverbial tree they secured a first round bye in the AFC playoffs. The Steelers still have a chance to secure the number one overall seed, but that would involve the New England Patriots<\/strong><\/a> losing to the New York Jets<\/strong><\/a> in week 17. The Jets almost won the first meeting but are starting backup quarterback Bryce Petty<\/a><\/strong>. With that being said, don\u2019t be surprised if the Steelers decide to rest most of their starters in week 17 and accept the AFC\u2019s two seed in the playoffs. With all of that out of the way, here are my week 16 gut reactions.<\/p>\n

Week 16 Pittsburgh Steelers Gut Reactions<\/h1>\n

Here We Go…<\/h2>\n

The Steelers are putting it all together at the right time. Antonio Brown<\/a><\/strong> has a pretty serious leg injury, but that didn\u2019t stop the offense from putting up 34 points. Of course, getting Marcus Gilbert<\/a><\/strong> back helped the offensive line. Chris Hubbard<\/a><\/strong> has been solid in his absence but Gilbert can be dominant at right tackle. That\u2019s a big reason why Le\u2019Veon Bell<\/strong><\/a> averaged 4.9 yards per carry.<\/p>\n

Living Up To The Hype<\/h2>\n

Juju Smith-Schuster<\/strong><\/a> and Martavis Bryant<\/a><\/strong> look like an elite one-two combination at receiver. Which is important, because rushing Brown back from injury is not beneficial for Brown or the team. Even more impressive, Ben Roethlisberger<\/a><\/strong> continued his hot streak even with Brown\u2019s absence. \u00a0Smith-Schuster had six receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown, and Bryant had three receptions for 60 yards. Both had big plays, the former pulling in a 49-yard reception and the latter catching a 36 yarder.<\/p>\n

As good as Brown is, the Steelers have to feel good about that duo going into the playoffs. The usage of Justin Hunter<\/a><\/strong>, especially at the goal line, is encouraging as well. He\u2019s been buried on the depth chart, but is almost the same size as Bryant. 6\u20194″ receivers don\u2019t grow on trees. He should be a weekly red zone threat whether Brown is injured or not. The same goes for Bryant, who has seen more red zone targets of late.<\/p>\n

Record Setting Bell<\/h2>\n

Also, I have to point out Roethlisberger wasn\u2019t sacked, and didn\u2019t turn the ball over. He\u2019s one of the hottest quarterbacks in the league right now, but having Bell as a safety valve is invaluable. He can break tackles and turn broken plays into positive yardage and keep the chains moving. He led the team in targets with eight and broke the 400 touches plateau on the season. In doing so, he became only the 42nd<\/sup> player ever to cross that threshold. If anyone needs a rest, it\u2019s Bell.<\/p>\n

Tight At Tight End<\/h2>\n

I\u2019d also like to point out that the passing game flourishes when the Steelers have two tight ends that Roethlisberger is willing to target regularly. A healthy Vance McDonald<\/a><\/strong> combined with a soft handed Jesse James<\/a><\/strong> are the secret to an elite intermediate passing game. James was only targeted once, and didn\u2019t have a catch. But when James, McDonald and Bell are all running routes, it stretches even the best defenses thin. Not to mention, it leaves defensive backs isolated against the Steelers talented receivers.<\/p>\n

When Roethlisberger is given time, and has all of these weapons running routes, he is dissecting defenses. The icing on the cake? Two tight ends are generally thought of as a running formation, resulting in defenses to play the Steelers like they\u2019re handing the ball off to Bell. Mark my words, two pass-catching tight ends is the way to beat the Patriots. McDonald was out last week. Let\u2019s hope he stays healthy throughout the playoffs. He\u2019s also a superior run blocker to James.<\/p>\n

Hitting Their Stride<\/h2>\n

The defense was one amazing catch short of pitching a shutout. There is undeniable talent all over the field. Like many games in the first half of the season, the opposing team\u2019s offense looked completely overmatched. But that didn\u2019t stop the Steelers from surrendering 108 rushing yards to Alfred Blue<\/a><\/strong>. Defensive coordinator Keith Butler<\/a><\/strong> used to be the linebackers coach. Maybe he\u2019s pulling for Sean Spence<\/a><\/strong>. But they need to take a second look at Tyler Matakevich<\/a><\/strong> as Ryan Shazier<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s replacement.<\/p>\n

The Ugly Stuff<\/h2>\n

Yes, Spence has speed, and finished tied with Vince Williams<\/a><\/strong> with a team high eight tackles. He even had a sack against the Texans. However, he is a poor tackler, and even worse at shedding blocks. If you go back and watch the film both he and Sean Davis<\/a><\/strong> struggled against a mediocre offense. Both players were lucky enough to have Williams, or safety Mike Mitchell<\/a><\/strong>, near by to help get Texans players on the ground. Per Pro Football Focus\u2019 rating system, a 50 grade is considered a poor NFL player. Spence\u2019s overall grade is 32.1. He has the lowest grade I\u2019ve ever seen at any position against the run; 27.6, and a 45.3 in coverage. To give some perspective, Shazier’s grade on the year was 84.7.<\/p>\n

Davis, who\u2019s started the whole season and made last year\u2019s all-rookie team grades at 33. His coverage metric is 36.7 and his run defense metric is 35.1. He might not be the strong safety of the future. Robert Golden<\/a><\/strong>, who admittedly has a much smaller sample size, grades out at 74.2 – an average safety. The numbers don\u2019t lie, these players aren\u2019t playing bad, they\u2019re playing extraordinarily bad.<\/p>\n

Dominance<\/h2>\n

On the flip side of the coin, Cameron Heyward<\/a><\/strong> remains unblockable. He finished with four tackles, two sacks and forced a fumble. Stephon Tuitt<\/a><\/strong> wasn\u2019t quite as effective but still created havoc in the backfield, he had two tackles and a sack of his own. Mike Hilton<\/a><\/strong>, the Steelers slot corner had six tackles and half of them were sacks. Also, Joe Haden<\/a><\/strong> had a great game even though DeAndre Hopkins<\/a><\/strong> made a circus catch against him in the end zone. Haden seemed healthy in his return from a fractured leg.<\/p>\n

Last Word<\/h2>\n

All in all, the last eight quarters of Steelers football have been their most well-rounded of the season. The offense is hot, the defense is doing its job. It\u2019s paid off too, the Steelers can get comfortable in Pittsburgh as they host the winless Browns in week 17. Then they enjoy a bye during the wildcard round of the playoffs before playing a home game again against the divisional round.<\/p>\n

If the playoffs started today, the Steelers would have already played every team. Going 4-2 against their competition. The last time the Steelers had a bye in the playoffs was 2010, the last time they were in the Super Bowl. Hopefully history will repeat itself.<\/p>\n

Main Image:<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>