Monday, October 2
Starting to gel: There is nothing an offensive line wants more than to protect their quarterback, and the last two weeks the Steelers did just that.
Aaron Rodgers wasn't sacked in either the Browns or Bengals game, something the line wants to make a habit.
"We have to continue to keep him upright," said offensive tackle Broderick Jones. "I feel like the o-line did their job doing that last week. We just have to continue to trend in the right direction and keep him upright.
"We are definitely trending in the right direction. We have to keep growing and developing as a unit."
That growth is a direct result of the offense working together as one and continuing to become the unit they know they are capable of.
"It's us starting to gel," said Jones. "Being able to go against different defenses and not just bashing heads with our defense day in and day out. Being able to see different schemes and looks, knowing what to expect and not expect.
"You can anticipate what defenses want to do against us because everyone knows we want to run the ball first. People try to scheme around that. I feel like us playing as an offense against everyone else, we're starting to gel more, connect more as an offense."
And having Rogers as the glue sure doesn't hurt.
"With a young team like us, I feel like it gives us a boost of confidence just knowing that you've got No. 8 back there," said Jones. "He's calling the shots, making sure everybody is right. He's just a shot caller.
"It's a big help for me knowing he is back there. I know he is going to control what needs to be controlled on the field, what needs to be done. It gives me confidence to go out there and play."
Moving on: Linebacker Patrick Queen knows Thursday night's game against the Cincinnati Bengals wasn't the defensive performance the unit wanted.
But he also knows there is a huge challenge ahead.
Preparing for the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football at Acrisure Stadium.
"I moved on already. It's in the past," said Queen. "You just have to get better from it.
"I think there is a lot of stuff we can learn, coaches and players. We have to prepare for the next one."
While preparing, though, Queen knows they have to take the lessons they learned in the loss with them.
"Everyone just honing in, doing their job," said Queen. "Regardless of what the play call is. Regardless of who you are going against. When you think of a professional, it's them doing their job with excellence.
"It's really simple. You just do your job the best you can."
Queen knows giving up 142 yards rushing and 342 passing, like they did against the Bengals, is not what this defense is about.
He also understands both teams come to play every week.
"It's the NFL," said Queen. "Sometimes it happens, even though you don't want it to. Sometimes it's ugly.
"At the end of the day, they get paid to play. Their coaches get paid to coach. We just have to make the plays.
"We have to go out there and execute better and try not to let those things happen.
"When the moment is there, make the play. Whatever it is, the opportunity, us as a whole, being better. From the small details, whatever it may be, just be better."
Turning the page: After admittedly emerging "(ticked) off" in the wake of a 33-31 loss in Cincinnati, defensive tackle and defensive co-captain Cameron Heyward maintained a similar demeanor today as the Steelers turned their attention to Green Bay.
"I don't think the mood's really changed," Heyward assessed. "The game happened Thursday, got the weekend off, trying to right the ship on Sunday."
The loss to the Bengals included the defense allowing the NFL's worst rushing offense to amass 142 yards on the ground on 23 carries, a 6.2 average per attempt.
The Bengals took the field against the Steelers last Thursday night at Paycor Stadium averaging 56.7 yards per game on the ground.
The Steelers had allowed a combined 135 yards rushing in their previous two games, victories over Minnesota and Cleveland.
Those performances suggest their sudden vulnerability defending the run against the Bengals might have been an outlier.
"It's gotta be but nothing is guaranteed," Heyward said. "You gotta go out there and make the proper adjustments.
"We gotta play with better technique."
The success the Bengals had on the ground against the Steelers set the table for success in the air. The problems against the run are correctable, Heyward maintained. But Heyward also emphasized it will be up to the defense to make the necessary corrections.
"To be good in this league you have to get off blocks but also maintain your gap," he said. "A couple times we can get a little thirsty and, you know, you pay the price.
"Communication has to be stressed here on out in practice to out of it to prepare for every situation. It's a process, it just has to keep growing."
Thirsting to make a play at the expense of gap integrity is a familiar conundrum up front. It's more fixable than getting blown off the ball, but it still has to be fixed.
"It can definitely be righted but we got work to do and we gotta attack it," Heyward said.
The hosting of the Packers on Sunday night at Acrisure Stadium includes an emotional component given quarterback Aaron Rodgers' 18-year history in Green Bay.
But to Heyward it's still just another game, and significant because it's the next one much more than because of who it's against.
"No different," he insisted. "Obviously, you want to win for Aaron but we want to play better football and we gotta to get this taste out of our mouth."
-- Blog entry by Mike Prisuta
Bringing you the action: For fans who don't want to miss any of the action, NFL+ is here, which means you can now watch the Steelers live and on the go! Watch live local and primetime regular season games on mobile, plus NFL RedZone, NFL Network, live audio and more - all in one place.
