Why the Steelers are STILL Dangerous

Story by Yinzer Crazy Steelers' Contributor Jayson Erwin. Follow him on Twitter @JaysonErwin2002

The Steelers are coming off a huge win vs. Brady and the Bucs. It was a palette cleanser, despite the last game being battered by the Buffalo Bills 38-3. But could the Steelers now be on the right track? The Bucs are no pushover with Tom Brady, Mike Evans, Leonard Fournette, and company at the helm. There were no turnovers by the Steelers, held Fournette to 3 yards per carry, and Claypool had a solid game. And more importantly, first dub since week 1! But the question is, what makes the Steelers still a threat? Obviously, one win doesn't mean all the problems have been solved but it's a step in the right direction for the Steelers. So how can the Steelers still bounce back? 

#1: An Easier Schedule

After the Bucs game, there are only 2 teams with an over .500 record on the rest of the schedule. The first team is the undefeated Pennsylvania brothers in the Philadelphia Eagles and the 3-2-1 Indianapolis Colts, who have a struggling offensive line and many injuries. Everyone else is at .500 or worse. An inconsistent 3-3 Dolphins team, a turnover-filled 2-4 Saints team, a 3-3 Bengals team that struggled against a 100% Steelers defense and TJ Watt should be back by then, a 3-3 Falcons team that has shown flashes but Mariota can be inconsistent, a 3-3 Ravens team that is being known for blowing leads late in the game and the Steelers have been known to improve in the second half, a struggling offense in the 1-5 Carolina Panthers team with the Steelers former rival QB Baker Mayfield, and a struggling 1-4 Raiders team. The schedule is already showing better odds for the Steelers now that the hardest teams are out of the way. But there is another thing coming up that will make the schedule even easier for the Steelers and that would be...

#2: TJ Watt Returns!

The man who single-handedly changes our defense. The pressure, leadership, and high motor TJ possess will make the defense much more dangerous. The Steelers have only won one game without Watt and that was the last game we played. With Watt ready to go, the Steelers will become even more dangerous.

#3: Pickett Shining!

The stats may not show it but you gotta look at the film, Pickett looks more confident than former starter Trubisky. Plus for Steeler fans, it feels nice to have a fresh start. With reports coming in and implied from Mike Tomlin himself, Trubisky got benched for an altercation with star receiver Diontae Johnson. Trubisky was struggling that day with only 84 passing yards and an interception. When Pickett took over, the offense looked more competent as Pickett threw 120 yards and scored twice with two rushing touchdowns. In the next game, the Steelers may have gotten destroyed by the Bills but Pickett still looked confident, and compared to how other QBs performed against the Buffalo defense, Pickett had one of the better performances. He may have thrown a pick but he also threw over 300 yards and completed 64% of his passes. Pickett next week would be taken out of the 3rd quarter to go into concussion protocol. He threw his first career touchdown though and still showed confidence. With reports coming in that Pickett should recover fast and Trubisky not being everyone's favorite QB in the locker room right now, the Kenny Pickett era could very well be resuming here soon.