The Pittsburgh Steelers will look to bounce back after an embarrassing 30-17 Wild Card loss to their division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens at home last January. While the team will have to replace some Pittsburgh legends in Troy Polamalu, Ike Taylor, and Dick LeBeau, the team may actually be better off without them. The organization will also have to deal with the loss of Jason Worilds after his surprising retirement at an early age. The Steelers will look to some unproven young players to help fill the void.
Offense
Not much has changed for the Pittsburgh offense. The Steelers will have Pro-Bowl quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at the helm again after his lucrative extension this offseason; the deal made him the second-highest paid player in the National Football League at that time. He is now the 3rd highest paid player in the NFL, behind Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson.
In 2014, 'Big Ben' passed for 4,952 yards, completing 67.1% of his passes. He tossed 32 touchdown to just nine interceptions. Even with these excellent numbers, they could improve in 2015. The Steelers will have to rely on Roethlisberger for the first two games of the season while Le’Veon Bell serves his suspension. In two preseason games, Roethlisberger has looked excellent, completing 14 of 17 passes for 159 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
Roethlisberger will have have one of the most talented receiving corps in the entire NFL at his disposal. With All-Pro wideout Antonio Brown leading the charge, this unit could put up some numbers. In 2014, Brown broke the Steelers' receiving records for reception, yards and touchdowns. Last season he caught 129 balls for 1,698 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Martavis Bryant caught the league off guard when he took the field in week seven. His size and speed made him almost unstoppable. Bryant recorded 26 receptions for 549 yards, averaging 21 yards per reception. He also caught eight touchdowns.
The Steelers will be with out him for the first four games of the season after he was suspended for violating the leagues substance abuse policy. Last season, many thought Markus Wheaton would have his breakout season, but unfortunately it wasn’t quite as big as people had expected. Now, Wheaton will have a chance to showcase himself while Bryant serves his suspension. Reports from training camp were that Wheaton looks likes ready to show he belongs in the NFL.
DeAngelo Williams will take the place of Le’Veon Bell while Bell serves his two-game suspension for DUI arrest last preseason. Williams still has good lateral quickness to cut and make defenders miss. His vision is excellent and will allow him to find running lanes and burst through them. This is extremely valuable due to the large amount of zone-blocking the Steelers like to run.
This unit will ride or die with Big Ben. If he were to go down for more than three games the Steelers will have a very slim chance at making the playoffs, even with veteran backup Michael Vick.
Defense
The defense will have a few young players take the places of legends. First-ballot Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu announced his retirement this offseason and while now the Steelers can't simply replace him, third year safety Shamarko Thomas will attempt to do so.
Thomas has consistently looked good during the preseason, but has failed to get on the field during the regular season.
Long-time cornerback Ike Taylor also announced his retirement. Cortez Allen will get another chance to prove himself after his horrendous play in 2014. William Gay will likely man the number-two corner slot until someone else shows they is worthy. The inside linebacker group is one of the deepest in the league.
Lawrence Timmons and Ryan Shazier make up one of the fastest pair of inside linebackers in the league. Shazier will look to bounce back after missing time due to injury in 2014. The Steelers drafted Bud Dupree in the first round of the draft this year to replace Jason Worilds. After missing most of the season due to a wrist injury, Jarvis Jones will look to show fans and critics wrong and show he belongs in the NFL. The defensive line will look to be solid, with young players such as Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt.
Special Teams
The loss of Shaun Suisham will make an impact, but not too much, since the Steelers signed a solid replacement in former-Saint Garrett Hartley.
The punting competition has been entertaining to watch. Going into his second season with the Steelers, Aussie Brad Wing is fighting to show he belongs. Jordan Berry, a fellow Australian, has been giving Wing a run for his money. If this battle continues, the Steelers will be the ultimate winners.
Prediction: 10-6 Record
The suspensions may cause the Steelers to get off to a slow start but they have the talent to overcome them even with the hardest schedule in the NFL. The injuries will also be a key factor. If the Steelers want to make the playoffs they will have to let Big Ben do his thing and be the Pro-Bowl caliber quarterback that he is.