PITTSBURGH (93.7 the Fan) I had to adjust the headline here because even though it's just four games in I have already given up expecting much of anything from the 2021 Steelers. Injuries and ineptitude have plagued them from the outset and there are few signs of that changing anytime soon.
The good news is that although Denver is 3-1 the Broncos really haven't beaten anybody. Their victims – the Jets, and Giants and Jags (oh my!) – are a combined 2-10. The bad news is that, right now, the 1-3 Steelers don't really qualify as anybody, either.
Nonetheless, this should be a winnable game. So here are five things you can exp…I mean, for you to look for Sunday at Heinz Field.
Denver's QB – Teddy Bridgewater has made an early impact but is coming off a concussion. He is expected to start but if Watt, Heyward & Company get to him like they got to Broncos quarterbacks last season (7 sacks) he may have to give way to Drew Lock who will be even more vulnerable to Pittsburgh's pass rush.
Pittsburgh's QB – It is going to be Ben Roethlisberger who practiced all week which, for him, means two days - Thursday and Friday. What Steelers fans hope to see, need to see, is something different, even just a little bit. More of Ben under center, more passes over the middle (maybe to a tight end?), more patience; i.e. Ben actually going through progressions before throwing it to Najee Harris, especially on fourth down (I say only slightly facetiously).
Zack Gentry – If the QB and OC are only going to target Eric Ebron twice in 28 snaps and Pat Freiermuth once in 32 snaps then why not put Gentry in there? Heck, he caught the one pass Roethlisberger threw to him for 10 yards and was only on the field for 11 plays and he can actually block! He can help the anemic run game, at least try to help neutralize Von Miller and he presents a big target for the QB. Speaking of tight ends . . .
Noah Fant,– Denver has also had its share of injuries especially at the receiver position (remarkably none are groins). Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler are out, Diontae Spencer was already banged up then Friday Cortland Sutton popped up on the injury report after apparently rolling an ankle. This leaves tight end Noah Fant, whom Mike Tomlin extolled at his weekly news conference. as even more of a marked man. The WR injuries might actually make it easier to give Fant more attention. Then again, Joe Schobert, Devin Bush, Terrell Edmunds haven't proved especially adept at covering tight ends. Minkah Fitzpatrick, who spied the Raiders' Darren Waller in Week 2, may do more of the same Sunday.
Steelers Fans – Yeah, you guys. Two weeks ago, on a perfect afternoon for football, attendance was just 58-thousand. That's 10,000 short of capacity. The who remained booed lustily as Roethlisberger was starting to throw that useless dump-off pass to Najee Harris on fourth-and-ten. They couldn't have been too thrilled with what they saw on TV from Green Bay last Sunday. Sunday is going to be another beautiful day. The lower attendance for the Bengals game may have been due in part to the paperless ticketing issues the week before. Now that those issues are fixed, if fewer than 58-thousand show up that will be an interesting referendum on how fans feel about the football club.
