Ravens believe they have learned painful lessons from recent losses to Steelers

By Mike Preston

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-big-ben-20180927-story.html#

September 28, 2018

Ben Roethlisberger and Eric Weddle (USA Today Sports)

Maybe next time they play golf together, Ravens safety Eric Weddle can talk a little trash to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

The two are close friends and spend a lot of time together during the offseason. Last year at the Pro Bowl, Roethlisberger couldn’t help but take a few jabs at Weddle.

“He is always talking junk,” Weddle said. “He is a down-to-earth, fun dude that’s competitive. He even talked crap to my dad when he saw him at the Pro Bowl. My dad walks in and asked us how we did golfing, and Ben had beaten me by a couple of strokes. He says, ‘That’s the third time this year.’ ”

Weddle and the Ravens (2-1) get another shot at the Steelers (1-1-1) on Sunday night. The Steelers have won the past three meetings, but this week marks the Ravens’ best chance in recent years. Three games into the season, the Ravens are one of the most complete teams in the NFL with the No. 1 ranked defense and No. 13 offense.

Few teams can match that balance, including the AFC’s hottest offensive team, the Kansas City Chiefs (No. 7 offense, No. 32 defense). The Steelers have as much disparity as the Chiefs with No. 2 offense and No. 29 defense.

So barring injuries or a few turnovers, it’s safe to assume the Ravens will score some against the Steelers and their woeful secondary. The outcome, though, will be decided on how much, if at all, the Ravens can slow Pittsburgh’s passing offense, which is averaging 363.3 yards a game.

It’s the start of a streak of marquee quarterbacks the Ravens must face in 2018. Besides going against Roethlisberger twice, the Ravens have the Atlanta Falcons’ Matt Ryan, New Orleans Saints’ Drew Brees, Carolina Panthers’ Cam Newton and Los Angeles Chargers’ Philip Rivers — not to mention the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Ryan Fitzpatrick, Oakland Raiders’ Derek Carr and Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes.

“Early on in my career, it seemed like every year we were playing Peyton [Manning], Tom [Brady] and Denver’s Jay Cutler back every year,” said Weddle, who spent nine seasons with the Chargers before coming to Baltimore in 2016. “Now you’re talking about Drew Brees, Ben, Matt Ryan — studs. They are the best in the league. That’s the excitement, right? That’s the challenge. That’s what you live for as a defense.”

The Ravens will need to listen to what Weddle is saying. When great quarterbacks such as Manning and John Elway got into a groove, they were unstoppable. It’s the same for Brady or Roethlisberger.

But the key, according to Weddle, is to not become unnerved when Roethlisberger gets hot.

“I don’t care what anyone says. When the great ones get going and catch on fire, there’s nothing you can call. It doesn’t matter,” Weddle said of the Ravens defense, which is ranked No. 2 in the NFL against the pass allowing 169.3 yards a game. “That’s why it’s huge for us as a team and as a defense to keep our composure and refocus. They are going to make plays and they are going to make runs.

“At times we have lost our composure, whether guys get enamored with [Steelers receiver Antonio Brown] or with [running back] Le’Veon [Bell], and they are focused on them more than what they are supposed to be. That’s just us as humans. You want to do more with the game on the line.”

Roethlisberger rallied the Steelers with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Brown with 9 seconds remaining for a 31-27 Steelers victory that knocked the Ravens out of the playoff picture in 2016. He threw for 506 yards last season in Pittsburgh’s 39-38 win over the Ravens in December.

There is something about their passing game the Ravens haven’t figured out. For one, the Ravens can’t get a consistent pass rush. A lot of teams have one vertical threat on the outside but the Steelers have Brown and second-year receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. They can play outside or in the slot pending the matchups.

The Ravens have also had problems covering Bell and Pittsburgh tight ends one-on-one. Smith-Schuster (27 receptions for 356 yards) has more catches than Brown (24 catches for 210 yards) this season.

“JuJu, its crazy that he’s kind of putting up some better numbers than AB,” Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey said. “He’s definitely a guy you have to be alert of. Last year, he had a really good year as a rookie, and I think he turned some heads. Even though you have to be aware of AB, you also have to be aware of JuJu. He’s been a guy that’s been given a lot of catches, a lot of yards per game, so we definitely have to be alert for him.”

At least the Ravens don’t have to worry about Bell. He’s still holding out in a contract dispute. Running back James Conner has played well in Bell’s absence, but he doesn’t have the patience, explosiveness or big-play ability of Bell, especially in the passing game.

The Ravens will sleep better knowing Bell won’t play, but they also have more confidence in themselves. They have learned from past mistakes, like allowing cornerback Brandon Carr to go one-on-one with Brown on the strong side of the field.

“We’ve gotten to the point where no matter what they do formation-wise, or no matter where their players are at on the field, we have an answer for it now,” Weddle said. “Going through those tough instances in the fourth quarter, well, we’ve learned from it and expanded that call or a different call.

“As tough as it is to swallow those losses, it’s helped us to prepare for these moments now going forward. When you have a stud receiver, you can’t always shade to that side. Because when you do, you have another guy running down the sideline for a touchdown. You have to mix [and] match, you have to blitz them at times, you can’t just let him sit back and get going.”

The Ravens made significant improvement from the Game 2 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, when quarterback Andy Dalton threw for 265 yards and four touchdowns. The Ravens play more pass coverage now and use their hands to disrupt patterns.

During the offseason, new defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale and head coach John Harbaugh dissected all the coverages and added more wrinkles. The Ravens run many more defensive fronts compared to a year ago and, according to Weddle, they’ve only used a smart portion of them so far.

Red-zone defense is a part of almost every practice instead of just going over it Thursdays and lightly sometimes Fridays.

“Honestly, there are times in my career where going into a game there would be some formation where I would think this doesn’t look good, or why do we want to do to this?” Weddle said. “Now I feel 100 percent confident that we have the tools where we have an answer to any formation.”

The Ravens also have an effective offense now. Quarterback Joe Flacco has legitimate weapons. They need to improve in the running game, which could be helpful in Sunday’s game to slow Pittsburgh’s offense.

The Ravens desperately need a win over Pittsburgh. It would be a signal they have arrived and are serious contenders. It’s difficult to win at Heinz Field, and this team has had some gut-wrenching, close losses to the Steelers the past three seasons.

A victory would be a great confidence-booster.

And Weddle could finally talk a little trash to Big Ben.

Time for closing arguments for Penguins players on the roster bubble

By Jonathan Bombulie

https://triblive.com/sports/penguins/14123877-74/time-for-closing-arguments-for-penguins-players-on-the-roster-bubble

September 27, 2018

Juuso Riikola celebrates his goal against the Sabres on September 18th.

When the puck drops between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night at Nationwide Arena, it’s time for a few players to make their closing arguments.

Winger Zach Aston-Reese, defenseman Juuso Riikola and goalies Casey DeSmith and Tristan Jarry will make their final cases for inclusion on the Penguins opening-night roster as the team plays its preseason finale.

Rosters must be set by Oct. 2, two days before the Penguins open the regular season at home against the Washington Capitals.

“I’ve been pretty cool with it. Try not to think about it,” Aston-Reese said. “Guys are competing for a spot, and that’s definitely on your mind, but at the end of the day, it’s about the team right now. It doesn’t weigh too heavy. It’s just fuel to the fire.”

Aston-Reese is one of the organization’s top prospects, a hard-nosed winger and a sentimental favorite as he makes his comeback from a concussion and broken jaw suffered on a brutal Tom Wilson hit in last year’s playoffs. After the Penguins added forward depth in the offseason — signing veteran centers Matt Cullen and Derek Grant — Aston-Reese’s road back to the NHL roster became rockier.

Riikola has been a training-camp sensation, a 24-year-old Finnish free agent who has impressed with his skating, smarts, puck skills and physicality. This is Riikola’s first stint in North America, however, and a stay in the AHL to become more accustomed to the smaller rinks might be beneficial.

DeSmith and Jarry, meanwhile, are battling for the backup goalie job behind starter Matt Murray.

DeSmith came into camp as the favorite to win the battle. He outperformed Jarry last season and is the incumbent, having held down the backup role throughout last year’s playoffs.

Jarry, however, has made a solid run at the job in the preseason, turning in a .953 save percentage in two appearances, eclipsing DeSmith and his .857 save percentage. The Penguins might still demote Jarry, since more time in the minors could be advantageous for a 23-year-old prospect, but the race has tightened up.

Aston-Reese, Riikola and Jarry find themselves on the chopping block in large part because they could be sent to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton without clearing waivers first.

“We have to think about the big picture and the short term,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “Waiver considerations, the business side of the game, is part of the equation. It’s not all of it, but it’s part of it. What our team needs are and how these guys’ skill sets can help us win and become the team that we want to become, all those things are taken into consideration. They’re difficult decisions.”

The Penguins started Thursday with 27 players — 15 forwards, nine defensemen and three goalies — on the NHL roster, needing to cut four to get to the league maximum of 23.

They started the paring process by putting forward Jean-Sebastien Dea and defenseman Zach Trotman on waivers. If they’re not claimed by noon Thursday, they can be assigned to the AHL.

That leaves the Penguins with two more cuts to make.

One will come in net when the choice is made between DeSmith and Jarry. The team has options with the other.

• They could send down Aston-Reese and keep Riikola. That would leave the team with eight defensemen and only 12 healthy forwards until Daniel Sprong is ready to return from a lower-body injury suffered in a knee-on-knee collision late in Wednesday night’s exhibition game with the Buffalo Sabres. Sullivan said Thursday that Sprong’s status is day to day.

• They could send down Riikola and keep Aston-Reese. They’d still have a solid complement of seven defensemen, but sending down Riikola after the tremendous camp he’s had would be a difficult trigger to pull.

• They could send down Aston-Reese and Riikola and start the season with a 22-man roster. The salary cap isn’t a pressing concern for the Penguins at the moment — they could fit in 23 players and still have almost $1 million in wiggle room — but banking extra cap space for later use is always a luxury.

“We’re really encouraged with the progress of a lot of our younger players,” Sullivan said. “The final decisions get to be very difficult.”

Follow the Pittsburgh Penguins all season long.

Jonathan Bombulie is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jonathan at jbombulie@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BombulieTrib.

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Vance McDonald's stiff-arm gives Steelers jump start

By Kevin Gorman

https://triblive.com/sports/steelers/14114205-74/kevin-gormans-take-5-vance-mcdonalds-stiff-arm-jump-starts-steelers-to-win

September 24, 2018

Vance McDonald stiff-arms Chris Conte on his way to a 75-yard touchdown on Monday night.(USA Today Sports)

TAMPA, Fla. — The stars came out for Monday Night Football, as Santonio Holmes reprised his Super Bowl XLIII-winning touchdown catch in the end zone and Hulk Hogan roamed the sidelines before the Pittsburgh Steelers played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But Vance McDonald upstaged everyone.

The Steelers tight end delivered a devastating blow with a super stiff-arm on Bucs safety Chris Conte, turning a short pass into a 75-yard scoring play at 5 minutes, 48 seconds of the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium.

The Steelers were the NFL’s final team to score a touchdown in the first quarter this season, after being outscored, 28-0, by the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs and Bucs.

And they were only getting started.

1. Slow start: The Steelers were penalized on the opening kickoff, as safety Jordan Dangerfield drew a holding flag to force the offense to start from its own 10-yard line.

Then, the Steelers went three-and-out for the fourth consecutive games, dating to the playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

After the defense held, Ben Roethlisberger was intercepted by safety Justin Evans. The Bucs responded with a five-play, 53-yard scoring drive capped by Ryan Fitzpatrick’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Brate for a 7-0 lead.

Just when they started to look like the same, old Steelers, McDonald caught a pass from Big Ben and made a big bang.

2. Redemption songs?: Chris Boswell has struggled since the Steelers rewarded the Pro Bowl kicker with a $20 million contract, and his misfires continued when he hit the upright on an extra-point kick after McDonald’s touchdown.

But after missing field goals in the first two games, Boswell converted his first with a 38-yarder to give the Steelers a 9-7 lead. Artie Burns was benched for the first time after 27 consecutive starts at cornerback, but the former first-round pick redeemed himself on his second series.

Burns popped Bucs receiver Chris Godwin, forcing a fumble that was recovered by nickel corner Mike Hilton. Two plays later, Roethlisberger hit Antonio Brown for a 27-yard touchdown pass along the right sideline for a 16-7 lead at 10:33 of the second.

It was a turning point in the game.

But Boswell later missed on a 47-yarder that hit the right upright, and Burns was later burned deep by Mike Evans for a 51-yard catch that set up a Tampa Bay field goal late in the first half and on a 24-yard touchdown pass to Evans in the fourth quarter.

3. Pick party: Fitzpatrick wasn’t just leading the NFL in passing yards through the first two weeks, he also had one of the best nicknames: FitzMagic.

Three picks later, it disappeared.

On a second-and-10 at the Steelers’ 12, inside linebacker Jon Bostic deflected a Fitzpatrick pass that landed in Hilton’s hands at the Steelers 6 to stop a scoring drive.

On Tampa’s next possession, rookie strong safety Terrell Edmunds got his first career interception. The first-round pick picked off Fitzpatrick at the Steelers 30 and returned it 35 yards.

Where neither of those picks resulted in points, the third one went for six. When defensive tackle Daniel McCullers pressured Fitzpatrick in the end zone, his pass was intercepted by outside linebacker Bud Dupree and returned 10 yards for a 23-7 lead.

No wonder Fitzpatrick was 0-5 career against the Steelers.

4. Big numbers: For the second consecutive game, the Steelers abandoned the running game and relied on Roethlisberger.

Through the first three quarters, James Conner rushed for 13 yards on nine carries and Stevan Ridley 18 yards on three carries while Big Ben had 317 passing yards and three touchdowns.

It marked the first time in his 15-year career that Roethlisberger started a season by throwing for 300 yards or more in the first three games.

If that’s the Steelers’ strategy, it’s one that comes with a risk-reward. Roethlisberger was efficient in completing 26 of his first 31 passes — a 128.1 rating — but also took three sacks for minus-18 yards behind a line that had B.J. Finney starting at right guard for David DeCastro and Matt Feiler at right tackle for Marcus Gilbert.

And passing is no way to protect a double-digit lead.

5. Depending on defense: The Steelers saw a 30-10 halftime lead dwindle to three points after Fitzpatrick found Evans for a 24-yard touchdown pass with 5:43 left in the game.

The Steelers could have pinned the Bucs at their 1-yard line on a Jordan Berry punt, but Darrius Heyward-Bey was penalized for an illegal shift and then drew an unsportsmanlike conduct flag for arguing the call.

Berry’s next attempt went for a touchback, and the 20 yards in penalties cost the Steelers 19 yards in field position. The Bucs instead started at their own 20, and FitzMagic had one more shot.

That forced the Steelers to depend on a defense that allowed 42 points to the Kansas City Chiefs.

And the defense delivered, forcing a three-and-out to put the ball back in Big Ben’s hands.

A game that was jump-started by a stiff-arm shiver ended with the Steelers taking a knee in the victory formation.

Hey, Steelers Nation, get the latest news about the Pittsburgh Steelers here.

Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Kevin at kgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.

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Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers put drama to bed with win in Tampa

By Jeremy Fowler

http://www.espn.com/blog/pittsburgh-steelers

September 25, 2018

TAMPA, Fla. -- Winning overshadows all drama. The Steelers said it all week, then proved it to be true -- barely -- with a performance that, at least temporarily, quells swirling concern in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers (1-1-1) have played their first three games without running back Le'Veon Bell, who didn't report after the franchise tag was placed on him and is now the subject of trade rumors. Then, Pro Bowl receiver Antonio Brown became upset with the coaching staff during Sunday's Week 2 defeat and failed to show up for meetings on Monday. He then tweeted "trade me" when criticized by a former Steelers employee on social media.

In spite of it all, Ben Roethlisberger was brilliant in a 30-27 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football. The quarterback's best road performance in years was buoyed by a defense that forced four turnovers, including a pick-six.

Drama handled, with a shrug.

"We're used to it," said Roethlisberger with a laugh after the game.

Instead of panicking about their their winless start, the Steelers -- winners of six straight on Monday Night Football -- hunkered down and stuck to their plan.

Roethlisberger said during the week he would try to set a tone, and 353 yards later, the Steelers' offense can imagine the possibilities. Decisive and aggressive, Roethlisberger completed 26 of his first 31 passes and 30-of-38 overall, including a sidearm, falling-down dime to JuJu Smith-Schuster in the final minutes to seal the game.

Roethlisberger starts a season with back-to-back-to-back games of 300 or more yards for the first time in his career, thanks in part to a masterful two-minute drill to end the first half. With 1 minute, 17 seconds left, Roethlisberger smoothly completed 8 of 9 passes for 75 yards and a 1-yard touchdown to Ryan Switzer.

The Steelers knew only playmaking could redirect the storyline from chaos in Pittsburgh to winning in Tampa.

"The biggest issue was outside the locker room, people perceiving different things," Roethlisberger said. "Not saying we don't have issues -- all teams have issues, different things going on -- but I think it was a little bigger than it really is."

Without much of a running game, Roethlisberger and the passing offense has more than 800 yards over two weeks.

The offensive lineup is coming into focus with Vance McDonald as the lead tight end and a four-receiver lineup of Antonio Brown, Smith-Schuster, James Washington and Switzer. The running game was averaging 2.3 yards per carry before James Conner broke off runs of 27 and 9 yards to set up a game-winning score.

Imagine if Bell was in the mix.

The offense wanted to utilize McDonald's speed to offset Tampa's speedy linebackers. McDonald used that speed after he trucked safety Chris Conte with an open-field stiff arm on his way to a 75-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

"Punish him," said McDonald about his plan when squaring up Conte. "Inflict as much force on him as possible."

On defense, cornerbacks wanted to keep Tampa Bay playmakers in front of them, avoiding the chunk gains and reducing mental errors. The defense is at its best when rushing the passer and creating turnovers. Sacking Fitzpatrick three times and creating four turnovers (three interceptions, one fumble) offset Fitzpatrick's big yardage day.

"It wasn't a good-looking win at all, they made a lot of plays on us," cornerback Joe Haden said. "But toward the end, when we had to make our stops, that was a big stop for us."

Poor discipline led to 115 penalty yards in the first half, the franchise's most in a half over the past 15 years. Too many Bucs were running free late, including Mike Evans going untouched for a 24-yard touchdown with 4:23 left. And Darrius Heyward-Bey's illegal shift on a punt that the Steelers downed at the Bucs' 1 was inexcusable.

But the resiliency that won the Steelers 13 games last season was on display Monday on the road. It's a start.

"We just pull each other closer," said Smith-Schuster, who led the team with 116 yards on nine catches. "When stuff gets hard and it gets tough, we take losses and we come together closer, we play better."

This Steelers mess might be too hot for Mike Tomlin to control when it matters most

By Eric Adelson
https://sports.yahoo.com/steelers-mess-might-hot-mike-tomlin-control-matters-063817954.html
September 25, 2018


Bud Dupree returns an interception for a touchdown in Monday night's 30-27 win in Tampa (AP)

TAMPA, Fla. – Urban Dictionary defines “hot mess” as “When one’s thoughts or appearance are in a state of disarray but they maintain an undeniable attractiveness or beauty.”

By that measure, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the hottest of messes. They always make you watch and they always make you wince. There is beauty and bumbling in just about every quarter, and there was plenty of both in the team’s first win of the season, 30-27, here on Monday against the Buccaneers. It was vintage Mike Tomlin, where you walk away wondering, “That’s a fun team … but is it a great team?”

They couldn’t even land the team plane here without drama, having to abort to nearby St. Petersburg on Sunday because of thunderstorms. Some of the players plotted a cockpit takeover, joked linebacker Bud Dupree. “I thought we were kidnapped,” he said after the game.

On Monday night, the game started with turbulence: a Steelers penalty. On the opening kickoff.

How does that happen?

Then the defense gave up a touchdown. And then came a stiff-arm that will go down in football folklore, with tight end Vance McDonald receiving a Ben Roethlisberger pass and then delivering a meme-tacular blow to Bucs safety Chris Conte.

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“Just punish him,” was McDonald’s mindset. “Inflict as much force on him as possible.”

Asked if there was a certain body part he was aiming for on the stiff-arm, McDonald said, “Yeah. His temple. To just crush him.”

McDonald raced to the end zone as Conte crumpled to the ground. Defensive lineman Cam Heyward, standing on the sideline, extended an arm toward Conte as if pointing a bow and arrow. “Dude got owned,” Heyward said after the game. It changed the entire vibe – a literal TKO in the first round.

The Steelers made three picks, including a pick-six, and went ahead 30-10 late in the second quarter. That should have been it. But that’s never it when it’s the Steelers. The Black and Yellow almost blew it, giving up 17 unanswered points and nearly the game. The whole affair could have ended differently had the refs not ruled Bucs receiver Chris Godwin down on what looked to be a touchdown early in the third quarter. The Steelers didn’t make sure, so Godwin stood up and bolted for the red painted rectangle. Then there was a DeSean Jackson punt return for a touchdown that was nullified because of a holding call. Pittsburgh gave up three touchdown passes overall and 411 passing yards.

“We need to do better at putting it away,” Roethlisberger said, in a classic understatement.

This is a veteran team and there always seems to be some rookie hijinx.

“Guys have got to make those one-on-one plays, those 50-50 plays,” Tomlin said. “We didn’t make enough of them. They made too many, and I just thought it didn’t reflect the overall performance when you’re giving up chunks like that.”

All of the credit and blame lands at Tomlin’s feet. He is now 13-2 on “Monday Night Football,” and when the lights shine brightest, his teams always steal the show. There’s Antonio Brown with a black sweatshirt with “$1.28 million” embroidered on the chest – a nod to his rookie contract. There’s Roethlisberger apologizing at his postgame news conference to Brown for “showing too much emotion” on a third-down incompletion late in the game to the wideout, an error that made Big Ben slam his helmet on the sideline in frustration. (Brown grinned and said it was no big deal.) There’s linebacker Vince Williams running off the field after the game shouting “Fitz-Tragic! Fitz-Tragic!”

Compared to, say, the Dallas Cowboys, this is nirvana. You have drama and winning. You have stars and clutch plays. You have a real shot at the Super Bowl just about every year. But having a shot at Lombardi and holding Lombardi are two different things, and Tomlin doesn’t seem any closer to getting the team back there. With obvious gaps in defense and discipline, that goal seems further away. The idea of jettisoning Tomlin always seems like one step too far, but the team itself always seems one step short.

The players admitted there has been stress, even aside of Brown going AWOL last Monday and star running back Le’Veon Bell still AWOL from the beginning of the season.

“It’s no secret, every team goes into a season with expectations and when those aren’t met, emotions, frustrations, all kinds of things start to creep in,” McDonald said. “So it’s really big, really big for us to win tonight.”

“We had a lot of angst going into the season,” Heyward said, “because you want to win games, you want to get that taste of the first win.

“You could see in our practices. We were frustrated. We wanted to do whatever it took.”

Is that frustration just under the surface now, after a win? Maybe that’s the Steelers’ equilibrium, the state of near-chaos. Maybe that’s their happy place. “We’re used to it,” Roethlisberger said of the drama.

Or maybe the team should be a little more efficient, a little more airtight, and it’s Tomlin’s fault that they aren’t.

Brown had a quirky comment after the game. He was talking about his relationship with Roethlisberger, and how he feeds off a well-placed compliment. “When your wife tells you you’re looking good carrying the groceries, it makes you want to get more groceries.” It’s hilarious but also profound. Tomlin is good at that – letting his guys know they look good carrying the bags. It’s just sometimes they drop them and that kind of lapse seems to happen too much. A brilliant stiff-arm, or a highlight touchdown catch, or a funny postgame quip can act as the shiny object every weekend, but the Steelers always return to the same place: they have plenty of groceries, yet they don’t get them all the way to the fridge.

Can they have another winning season? It looks a lot more hopeful now. Ben is steady again and Brown is smiling again. Next up are the Baltimore Ravens and a win could vault Pittsburgh from a tie for last in the division all the way to first if the chips fall right.

And yet the Steelers have given up 90 points in three games and the Chargers and Chiefs are the only AFC teams that have given up more. That’s not good enough.

There are never any iron-clad conclusions with Mike Tomlin teams. They are equal parts elation and frustration.

Equal parts hot and mess.