The Pittsburgh Steelers are twelve games into the regular season, and that means it’s time to track who has done well, stock up, and who hasn’t, stock down, as the team turns the page to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16 of the regular season.

As always, these are just my lists, so feel free to voice your opinion in the comment section below.

Stock Up

Takeaways

Another team who hadn’t turned over the ball over much heading into their game with the Steelers, and another game where the Steelers create multiple turnovers. I’ve said it before, and hopefully I get to keep saying it, but the Steelers takeaways are not a blip on the radar. They are a trend where you can essentially plan on at least one per week. The Steelers have 30 takeaways this season (15 INTs and 15 FRs), which is No, 1 in the league, and their +18 differential is tied for first with the Buffalo Bills. The Steelers defense and special teams takes the ball away, and it is tremendous how this arrow is pointing up.

Sacks

Last week I wrote about how the Steelers aren’t putting up their traditional sack numbers, but they were able to add another three against the Eagles. So, for those counting, the last three games the Steelers have tallied 10 sacks and 21 QB vs. the Bengals, Browns, and Eagles, and the hope is that continues as they prepare to face Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes in the next two games. We’ll have to wait-and-see what that stretch will mean for the pass rush, but in the meantime this part of the team’s defense is seeing their stock headed in a positive direction.

Pat Freiermuth

There hasn’t been much positive for the Steelers since the last installment of this article, but it is worth suggesting the Steelers prized tight end is starting to find his footing. Freiermuth has hit pay dirt in the past three games, and is starting to get into a rhythm both with Arthur Smith and Russell Wilson at quarterback. It may sound simple, but the Steelers are starting to finally get the football to the man who was honored with a new contract before the season began. Freiermuth’s arrow is pointing up, and is one of just a few positives on the offensive side of the ball at this juncture in the season.

Stock Down

Offensive Line

When it comes to pass protection, the Steelers offensive line hasn’t been horrible. The area they’ve struggled the most has been in the run game. Game after game it seems as if you see clip after clip of plays which are brimming with confidence, except for a failed block by a particular lineman. Sometimes it’s Broderick Jones climbing to the next level, other times it’s MyCole Pruitt or Connor Heyward unable to find the right player to block as they pull to the run side of the play. Regardless of who is to blame, if the Steelers are going to go anywhere this postseason they need to be able to run the football, and that starts up front with the offensive line.

Running Game

While I just spent a paragraph diagramming how the offensive line has their arrow trending down, so do the players tasked with carrying the football. Najee Harris has disappeared from the offense the past 4-5 games, Jaylen Warren has been as advertised, and Cordarrelle Patterson looks as if he still isn’t fully healthy from the ankle injury he sustained in the loss vs. the Indianapolis Colts earlier this season. There is no one coming to save the Steelers running backs, but you hope an improved line will also aid this sagging unit of ball carriers.

Time of Possession

There was a time this season when the Steelers were leading the league in time of possession per game. The past few games the Steelers haven’t dominated this statistical category as much, and you can see this by watching games. You aren’t seeing the long, time-consuming drives as much anymore. Instead, you’re seeing more three-and-outs, and that was on display with five in a row vs. the Eagles last Sunday. The Steelers have now dropped out of the top spot in the league, and are now in a jumbled mess of teams who are mere seconds away from one another. If there was a game where it would be great to see the renaissance of the aforementioned grind-it-out offense, it would be vs. the Ravens Saturday.

Secondary Depth

If you’ve been paying attention to the Steelers injury report, you know all about the Steelers situation in the secondary. Donte Jackson has been on and off the injury report all season, and the depth behind him has been just okay. James Pierre has filled in admirably in his stead, but is now the time to see if Cory Trice is truly ready to step up and be a quality depth piece for the defense? Some might say a second year player who lost his entire rookie season due to injury shouldn’t be considered quality depth. I suggest to those people the team doesn’t have much of an alternative at this juncture. The absence of DeShon Elliott at safety was also noticeable on Sunday in Philadelphia, and the team will have to figure out how they want to use Cameron Sutton and Damontae Kazee down the stretch if Elliott is still out with his hamstring injury. It’s all-hands-on-deck from here on out, and the Steelers need to figure out the best combination of players to use in their defensive secondary if a starter is absent.

Be sure to follow SCN for all the latest news and updates as the team prepares for the Ravens in Week 16 of the 2024 regular season.