2017 Record - 13-3-0
Head Coach - Mike Tomlin
2017 Offensive Ranking - 3rd (378 ypg, 25.4 points per game)
2017 Defensive Ranking - 5th (307 ypg, 19.2 points allowed per game)
OFFENSE - Ben Roethlisberger is back for his 15th season as the starting quarterback. Last season Big Ben passed for 4,251 yards with 28 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Running back Le'Veon Bell has been holding out, but the "franchise tag" player is expected to be ready this season. Bell rushed for 1,291 yards and scored nine rushing touchdowns last season and also had 85 receptions for 655 yards and two scores. James Conner and Stevan Ridley are slated to be the backups.
Antonio Brown (101 receptions, 1,533 yards, nine TD) leads a talented wide receiver corps along with JuJu Smith-Schuster (58, 917, seven TD), rookie pick James Washington (Oklahoma State) and tight ends Vance McDonald (14, 188, one TD) and Jesse James, who had 43 grabs for 372 yards and three touchdowns.
DEFENSE - Four premier pass rushers spearhead this defense that accumulated a league leading 56 quarterback sacks a year ago.
Cameron Hayward had 12 sacks while linebackers T.J. Watt (seven sacks), Vince Williams (eight sacks) and Bud Dupree (six sacks) put the pressure on opposing quarterbacks as well.
The secondary was solid with 16 interceptions and will have corners Artie Burns and Joe Haden along with safeties Sean Davis (three interceptions) and Morgan Burnett. Rookie pick Terrell Edmunds (Virginia Tech) is a safety who will look to help out and cornerback Mike Hilton (two picks) adds depth.
OUTLOOK - The Steelers were a strong contender for the Super Bowl a year ago before being surprised by Jacksonville in the Divisional Round of the AFC Playoffs.
With Roethlisberger, Brown and Bell back in the fold in Pittsburgh's offense, expect them to continue to roll up the yardage and score points. Head Coach Mike Tomlin knows the offense is solid and would like to see the defense take another step forward this season.
Pittsburgh finished in the top ten in both run (106 ypg) and pass (201 ypg) defense a year ago while leading the NFL in sacks and also ranked ninth with 16 picks.
Losing linebacker Ryan Shazier to a serious neck and back injury hurts, but the five-year veteran is walking again and making progress. There is plenty of talent on both sides of the ball and if the Steelers can run the table again in the AFC North, they should cruise to another division crown.
Barring any major injuries to their core players, expect Pittsburgh to finish 12-4 and make the playoffs again. From there, they must avoid the mistakes that have plagued them the past two years as they seek to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time in eight years. It could very well happen for them this season, including a Super Bowl title.
2018 TEAM SCHEDULE
Week 1 - at Cleveland
Week 2 - vs. Kansas City
Week 3 - at Tampa Bay
Week 4 - vs. Baltimore
Week 5 - vs. Atlanta
Week 6 - at Cincinnati
Week 7 - Bye
Week 8 - vs. Cleveland
Week 9 - at Baltimore
Week 10 - vs. Carolina
Week 11 - at Jacksonville
Week 12 - at Denver
Week 13 - vs. LA Chargers
Week 14 - at Oakland
Week 15 - vs. New England
Week 16 - at New Orleans
Week 17 - vs. Cincinnati
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