–The Steelers are just 1-4 in their first game after an off week the past five seasons, but they have a 22-6 overall record after the off week since 2014. The strong second halves are a big reason the Steelers are aiming for their fifth consecutive appearance in the AFC playoffs.
The Steelers have been slow starters in each of those seasons. They started 3-3 in 2014 and came back to win the division. They were 4-5 after nine games in 2016 and stormed back to win the division again.
“I just feel like we don’t warm up to it,” safety Sean Davis said. “But once we get back after the bye week we come back ready to work. It’s like the second start of a season again. We’re looking forward to that hot jump again. There’s really no secret to it. We just put the work in, try to jump on opponents.”
–Third-year corner Artie Burns lost his starting job and is currently splitting time with veteran Coty Sensabaugh. It’s been a steep fall for the 2016 No. 25 overall pick. The Steelers were hoping he would be a solid corner on the opposite side of Joe Haden, but instead that side of the field has been a weak link on the defense. Nonetheless, head coach Mike Tomlin said he likes the approach Burns is taking during his demotion.
“He has to smile in the face of adversity,” Tomlin said. “Young guys go through lulls in play, particularly at the cornerback position. Ultimately, their careers are defined in how they respond to it, how they continue to work through the misery. We’ll keep punching the clock. When you have negative plays at the cornerback position people will throw at you.”
–The Steelers were one of the teams that were involved in trade speculation surrounding Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson, who released a statement Wednesday afternoon saying he was committed to remaining with the Cardinals. Tomlin was not giving the speculation much thought anyway.
“I don’t play the hypothetical game,” Tomlin said. “We focus on us and potential free agents and so forth, it’s our normal business. I just don’t delve into the hypothetical fodder about who’s potentially available and who’s not. Some of those things are just speculation – there’s no significance or anything real to it, so why comment on it? Why think about it? Why waste one iota of our time? We’ve got real, tangible issues relative to guys who are on our team that need to be addressed.”
BY THE NUMBERS: 5,421 – Number of yards Ben Roethlisberger would pass for this season if he maintains his current pace of 339 yards per game. Roethlisberger’s career high is 4,952, set in 2014.
