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Updated 6 hours ago
The Pittsburgh Steelers had so much trouble in their first four games that Mike Tomlin gave his team a quarterly report, highlighting the trends that contributed to their 1-2-1 start.
The Steelers have won four consecutive games, including three in a row against division opponents, to move from last place to first place in the AFC North Division.
So, what is the status of the Steelers in the middle of the NFL season?
"We are a resilient group," said defenseman Cameron Heyward, captain of the team. "We can dig holes for ourselves and we can escape. There are trends between our first quarter and second quarter, and our third quarter has not yet been defined. We can not wait to be on the safe side of this. "
The Steelers (5-2-1) begin the second period with a test Thursday night at Heinz Field, where they face the Carolina Panthers (6-2), a team in a series of three consecutive victories.
The Panthers not only have a candidate for MVP position in the Cam Newton quarter and a dangerous double threat at Christian McCaffrey, but also a pair of linebackers in Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis that Tomlin compared to Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, two major Chicago Bears names.
The Steelers and Panthers share this: the majority of their victories were won against two-division teams. The Steelers defeated the AFC North Bengals, Browns and Ravens, as well as the NFC South Buccaneers and Falcons, and the Panthers defeated the NFC East Cowboys, Giants and Eagles, as well as the Bucs. , the Bengals and the Ravens.
"They have already beaten two opponents of the AFC North, so it's time for us to show them that they're not just going to lead the AFC North and make us fall," said Heyward. "You put a lot of respect for what they did and what we did. But this team is exciting and we have to watch it. "
Stopping the Panthers will be a challenge. They rank second in the NFL rushing for 143.9 yards per game, and the Steelers felt overturned in the first quarter of the season. They allowed Cleveland to rush for 177 yards, Kansas City 127 and Baltimore 96.
"We understand that the job is not over," Heyward said. "We are going against attack number two and we are looking forward to such a test."
But the Steelers corrected their weaknesses following Tomlin's quarterly report. They did not allow a 100-yard rush all season and their last four opponents failed to pass the 100-yard mark while the Steelers kept them at an average of 64.8 yards.
Offensively, the Steelers established their hasty attack to the point that James Conner was named player of the month of the AFC. After a slow start, Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown clashed at a record-breaking pace, and the offensive line withstood two straight home starts, Marcus Gilbert.
Left hand guard Ramon Foster highlighted Sunday's win in Baltimore as evidence of the Steelers' recovery from a home defeat by September 26th to September 30th to a 23-16 win over four games. The Ravens vaunted the NFL's top-ranked defense, but the Steelers had 395 yards and converted 10 of the 16 third-try attempts.
"I think you put a lot in it," Foster said of the Steelers' winning streak. "We fought very good defenses. We faced teams on the road. At first we dropped a team that ended up getting a return, so I can say without a shadow of a doubt that since Baltimore's first match until that last match, you must say that we have improved. "
The second-half schedule should be more difficult, as Carolina is the first of five opponents to have a winning record. The Steelers will also face the Chargers (6-2), Patriots (7-2), Saints (7-1) and Bengals (5-3), a final that could decide the title of the division.
That's what makes the three consecutive victories on the AFC North so important that the Steelers have returned to the playoff position.
"It was huge, and since they line up one after another, I do not know if other people know it," Foster said. "It's something you can easily fall apart. If you drop one, you will fight it in the last game of the season. "
It's huge but inconclusive. The Steelers know that they are a resilient group, capable of digging holes and getting out. The Steelers proved they were good enough to defeat their three opponents from AFC North and the worst team in NFC South.
Now, starting with Carolina, we're about to know if the Steelers are Super Bowl contenders or contenders for the second half of the season, which promises to be tough.
That's not what the Steelers know. That's what they can prove.
Kevin Gorman is an editor of Tribune-Review. You can contact Kevin at [email protected] or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.
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