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As far as things came together in the second half for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in Buffalo, TribLIVE’s Mark Madden says the offense can do more.
The Steelers fell to a 10-0 hole at halftime. Still, they ended up beating the favorites of the Bills 23-16 thanks to a blast in the second half.
In the first half, the defense carried the team. It was the only side of the ball that kept the team afloat.
But when the teams returned to the pitch for the second half, all three phases contributed. Coordinator Matt Canada’s offense scored on all four of his possessions. The defense limited the Bills to two baskets. And the special teams contributed with a blocked punt that turned into a touchdown, plus three field goals.
However, on this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Madden said offense needs to carry its own weight earlier in games.
“Winning over the Bills has to be a plan because I don’t think the offense is going to be that good, and I think the defense has to be that good every week,” Madden said. “This offensive line was just as bad as expected. There was no push in the race… I wonder if this offensive line will allow this attack to be even more than average on its best day.
Meanwhile, Madden said outside linebacker TJ Watt is already living up to his $ 112 million contract.
“He was worth every penny. He was just amazing, ”Madden said. “He had a few sacks, a strip bag, a loss tackle, pressure on Allen, five hits in total. He led and the rest of the peloton followed.
The brilliant defense didn’t stop with Watt. Cameron Heyward was fantastic. Cameron Sutton made big plays. Melvin Ingram and Alex Highsmith provided a lot of pressure.
But Madden said in Week 2 against the Raiders the offense needs to catch up.
“The best defense won. The offense was a passenger. Defense was the crew, ”Madden said. “I think they need to be as inventive as possible on this defense. Because as good as that defense is, for the Steelers to qualify for the playoffs, it has to play the way it did today and maybe even better week after week.
Also on “Madden Monday” this week, Mark and I discuss Sidney Crosby’s wrist injury, the state of collapse of the Baltimore Ravens, and the Pirates’ inability to sweep away a series.
Listen: Tim Benz and Mark Madden discuss Steelers’ Week 1 win over Bills
Tim Benz is an editor for Tribune-Review. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or via Twitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication, unless otherwise specified.
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