The Pittsburgh Steelers were one of the top teams in the NFL in 2016 and things don’t look to change much in the 2017 Nfl Season. The Steelers stormed into the postseason and looked powerful enough to knock off the New England Patriots until running back Le’Veon Bell fell to injury. Now, as long as the Steelers and Bell can avoid hard feelings with his recent holdout, the Steelers should be back on top of the AFC North once again. With the NFL training camps starting this week, here is a look at the 2017 Pittsburgh Steelers preview.
Steelers offensive breakdown
The Pittsburgh Steelers have had one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL ever since Big Ben Roethlisberger was a rookie. He has taken his Steelers to the Super Bowl and has always prided himself on being one of the toughest quarterbacks in the NFL. As long as Roethlisberger can remain healthy, the Steelers will always have a chance to win.
One of the reasons that Big Ben is so solid is that the Pittsburgh Steelers always have a great receiver to throw the ball to. His current No. 1 target is Antonio Brown, who might be the best wide receiver that Roethlisberger has ever played with. Last season, Brown became the first receiver in NFL history to have four consecutive 100 reception seasons.
Alongside Brown is Martavius Bryant, someone who sat out last season with a suspension.
The running back is Le’Veon Bell, one of the best runners in the entire NFL. He can catch balls and runs hard. Last season, Bell was suspended for four games and returned to still run for 1,268 yards in only 12 games. He also was second in receiving with 75 catches for 616 yards.
Bell is not happy to be working under the Franchise Tag but if he plays hard, he will get paid next year.
Steelers defensive breakdown
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense that was, at one time, called the Steel Curtain, has not been as strong as it was in the past but it is still a reliable and solid unit. The one missing piece was finding cornerbacks who can actually play man coverage and linebackers who can provide pressure from the outside.
The good news is that defensive lineman Cameron Heyward is returning after tearing his pec last year and he will make everyone around him better. Stephen Tuitt is also turning into a star on the line.
James Harrison is still around at linebacker but at his age, he can’t continue to dominate as he has in the past. The Steelers’ cornerbacks are young and will just get better over time.
Steelers 2017 NFL prediction
The Pittsburgh Steelers were one win away from the Super Bowl and even with Le’Veon Bell’s injury, they still could have beaten anyone other than the New England Patriots. This year, the Steelers just need to play like they did in 2016 and they have every chance to make it to the Super Bowl as any team if they can overcome the Patriots.
