After a full week off, the Pittsburgh Steelers get back to work this week and get ready to travel out to the West Coast and take on the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams are coming off of a win and currently sit at 3-3. Even though on paper these two teams are very evenly matched, the level of inconsistency the Steelers have played within the first five games makes the outcome uncertain.
Here are our early causes of concern this week.
The existence of Aaron Donald
The NFL has never had more elite interior defensive linemen than right now. Yet somehow Aaron Donald remains one of the best. Los Angeles moves him all around the formation and I’m not sure if there is a Steelers offensive lineman who can block him consistently.
Cooper Kupp is back
On Sunday the Rams got wide receiver Cooper Kupp back from injury and he looked like he didn’t miss a beat. Kupp finished with seven receptions for 148 yards and a touchdown and gives quarterback Matthew Stafford one more weapon for an inconsistent Steelers secondary to contend with.
Nothing will change for the Steelers
Inconsistency and lack of effort have been two of the problems the Steelers have faced this season. Until the team gets on the field, I have zero confidence that head coach Mike Tomlin will have this team ready to play with heart and physicality and zero confidence in the players that they will bring the level of effort necessary to win.
Cross-country travel
One thing the Steelers have always had to their advantage is the fact they rarely have to do much travel during the season. This means any time Pittsburgh does make a long road trip, you wonder about how they will perform. Let’s hope it isn’t a repeat of the road trip to Houston earlier this season when the Steelers were blown out by the Texans.
What has Kenny Pickett been doing?
I know we talked about no changes in terms of effort or heart but what if Pickett still comes out and plays hard but is still underperforming? This offense needs all parts working including its franchise quarterback or the rest doesn’t matter.
