Steelers' Hot Start in the Passing Game Came With a Shift in Mentality
PITTSBURGH -- I'm going to start with a controversial statement. Something everyone, myself included, just doesn't want to talk about anymore, but should be said.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' receivers are better right now than they may have ever been. Including the days of Antonio Brown.
The difference in Pittsburgh this season is selflessness. On a week-to-week basis, the Steelers are finding new ways to get different players involved on the offensive side of the football.
Week 1, it was a welcome party of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Benny Snell Jr. Week 2 became Diontae Johnson's after a rough start, and some unfortunate fumbles early in the first two games. James Conner joined the mix with his first 100-yard performance. Week 3, more Conner.
And Week 5 was all Chase Claypool.
"Looking around the receiver room, the five guys that we have are playmakers," Claypool said after the Steelers 38-29 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. "You see Ray-Ray [McCloud] coming in. Every time he touches the ball, he makes a play. I'm super excited for him because h's slowly getting into the offense, and he's making plays, and that just adds to our depth. Then you have guys like JuJu, Diontae, James Washington. All those guys make it really exciting going into game day."
There are a number of reasons the Steelers have found themselves 4-0 for the first time in 41 years. Ben Roethlisberger is off to the best statistical start of his career. In 17-years, the Steelers quarterback has never started a season with a touchdown-interception divide this wide.
"I'm still missing the deep ball too much, still overthrowing," Roethlisberger said. "I know last week I talked about it and said I'd rather overthrow it than underthrow it. But I've got to figure it out. I don't know if the doc made my arm, I guess, a little stronger. I don't know. I've got to figure out how to connect on those deep balls a little more."
Despite the adjustments still needed, Roethlisberger has finished with a passer rating over 100 three of the Steelers' four games. His 125.9 rating was the highest of Week 5. Only five quarterbacks sit higher than his 111.3 passer rating this season.
Last season, Diontae Johnson (without Roethlisberger) led all rookie in receptions with 59. This season, Claypool leads all rookies with five touchdowns.
"He's talented," Roethlisberger said. "He has got some God-given abilities that not many people in this world have. He's big, fast and strong, and he's very, very smart. So we're able to do those things like move him around and do some things with him. That last touchdown is a perfect example. Changed the play, and he makes it happen. I just have to give him a little bit of a cue, and it's awesome."
Even Ray-Ray McCloud has inserted himself into the mix. A first-time contributor to the offense, McCloud took off for a 58-yard burst on an end-around to set up a Steelers touchdown in the second quarter.
The Clemson product and third-year player added three receptions for 13 yards and another five-yard rush to his total.
"All week, coach Randy [Fichtner], Isaac [Hillard], coach Tomlin, said 'be ready,'" McCloud said on Monday. "All week, we practiced certain plays. Some we got to, some we didn't get to. The ones we did get to we prepared for. Whenever my opportunity was called during the game I took advantage of it."
It's not perfect, but it's fairly close. The Steelers offense has everything going for it, and no one is looking to make more happen.
It's a take what you can get, but everyone's eating mentality. A group effort Pittsburgh hasn't had in years. But now that it's clicking, and the team is winning, everyone is all smiles.
"We're just trying to move the ball around and make everybody defend the entire field both vertically and horizontally," head coach Mike Tomlin said. "That's just a component of our attack. We brought it to the stage today. That's why we strive to be diverse, to keep people off balance, to be able to go to personalities, and utilize those personalities to win football games."
Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.
