Steelers: 4th best record in the AFC

[Shawn]

And only a game away from the best record in the AFC. This offense is playing like one of the best in the NFL. The D is doing enough...getting pressure, getting turnovers and putting the O in good situations. Brown, Wheaton, and Bryant are looking like a very tough trio of WRs...with Bell in the receiving core...is there better in the NFL? Ben is playing the best ball of his life. This team is truly a contender.

[Shawn]

So what is different about this team and team beginning the season? Two things...the D is getting pressure/forcing mistakes and now we have a red zone offense.

[Shawn]

And now how big are those late season Bengals games looking?

[Steelhere10]

So what is different about this team and team beginning the season? Two things...the D is getting pressure/forcing mistakes and now we have a red zone offense.

The difference is we decided to get aggressive.

[Oviedo]

So what is different about this team and team beginning the season? Two things...the D is getting pressure/forcing mistakes and now we have a red zone offense.

The biggest difference is that the defense is attacking and kudos to that side of the ball. Lots of unsung heroes have been coming through. Harrison has been better than I thought he could be. Still don't understand Cam Thomas getting reps over Tuitt or McCullers not being out there more often. Offense has been out of control and I think that is helping the defense tremendously because it is forcing opponents to go one dimensional knowing the have to score 30 to win.

[Shawn]

The biggest difference is that the defense is attacking and kudos to that side of the ball. Lots of unsung heroes have been coming through. Harrison has been better than I thought he could be. Still don't understand Cam Thomas getting reps over Tuitt or McCullers not being out there more often. Offense has been out of control and I think that is helping the defense tremendously because it is forcing opponents to go one dimensional knowing the have to score 30 to win.

I agree with you on all accounts. Harrison is playing at a much higher level than I thought he could. And anytime I see a DLman getting pushed back or rag dolled it's Thomas.

[K Train]

Nah they suck....all the coaches should be fired. Theres NO WAY a team can make adjustments and progress throughout the course of a season...NONE

[BradshawsHairdresser]

Nah they suck....all the coaches should be fired. Theres NO WAY a team can make adjustments and progress throughout the course of a season...NONE

If the coaches hadn't made the adjustments they did, they SHOULD have been fired. The non-attacking vanilla approach that they chose to operate in earlier wasn't cutting it.

I'm just glad they turned it around.

[Sword]

So what is different about this team and team beginning the season? Two things...the D is getting pressure/forcing mistakes and now we have a red zone offense.

and we aren't playing conservative, using Ben and his weapons...playing to win!!!

[Captain Lemming]

So what is different about this team and team beginning the season? Two things...the D is getting pressure/forcing mistakes and now we have a red zone offense.

Yup, "players gotta make plays".

[Captain Lemming]

Offense has been out of control and I think that is helping the defense tremendously because it is forcing opponents to go one dimensional knowing the have to score 30 to win.

THIS is a big key.
Our run defense is still average but team are forced to pass.......and we KNOW it's coming, we can just attack the QB.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

The difference is we decided to get aggressive.

actually agree here...
Couple of notes from last night... Early on, I wondered about the offense, not the defense. I realize we kept getting the ball deep in our own territory, but, I said more than once, "You'd trust Brady to actually go for the first down there..." We went 3 and out on at least our first 3 possessions... Pretty sure our first 1st Down came at the very end of the first qtr

Shawn, I'm also not sure about that RZ offense... though 3 scores technically came inside the 20 (i.e., RZ), 2 were right on the edge of it (19, 18 yards). Statistically, it's correct. but, I'm curious what we look like inside the 10... Guess I'm just not convinced that thing is solved yet. Hope so.

[K Train]

they went empty backfield and threw it to bell inside the 10 didnt they?

[feltdizz]

actually agree here...
Couple of notes from last night... Early on, I wondered about the offense, not the defense. I realize we kept getting the ball deep in our own territory, but, I said more than once, "You'd trust Brady to actually go for the first down there..." We went 3 and out on at least our first 3 possessions... Pretty sure our first 1st Down came at the very end of the first qtr

Shawn, I'm also not sure about that RZ offense... though 3 scores technically came inside the 20 (i.e., RZ), 2 were right on the edge of it (19, 18 yards). Statistically, it's correct. but, I'm curious what we look like inside the 10... Guess I'm just not convinced that thing is solved yet. Hope so.

Bell TD... nice play and beautiful toss and catch

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

It is easy to say that all they had to do was get aggressive, but don't you think that some of their players needed to first get into a comfort level before they were able to let them loose?

-Harrison and Keisel had to work their way into shape
-Shazier has been in and out of the lineup (mostly out)
-They had to figure out who was going to play well enough across from Gay after Ike went down - because it is definitely not Cortez
-I would think that it took Bryant this much time to see the field because he just wasn't ready
-The OL is starting to gel, which they were not doing early in the year

Sometimes it isn't just the coaching staff implementing a change, but the players being able to take on the role.