Midseason Report

[flotsamnjetsam]

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)
Grade: B

What they’ve done well: The Steelers do many things well, but it is an absolute given that they will stop the run. They rank second against the run, allowing 76.6 yards per game. Pittsburgh's running game has started to come into its own behind Rashard Mendenhall, who is averaging 5.4 yards per carry and taking the heat off QB Ben Roethlisberger.

Needs improvement: The Steelers are struggling against the pass, but it doesn’t appear that coach Mike Tomlin or defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau are worried. Their passing defense numbers (214.4 per game, 17th overall) were inflated when safety Troy Polamalu was injured. His absence also is reflected in the Steelers’ interception total. They have only 5 going into the second half of the season, ranking 23rd in the league.


http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/sport ... 32172.html

[mattb47]

Numbers at the true halfway point:
Total Defense: 5th (284.9 ypg)
Pass Defense: 14th (214.5 ypg)
Run Defense: 1st (70.4 ypg)
Scoring Defense: 6th (17.4 ppg)

Total Offense: 5th (382.0 ypg)
Pass Offense: 5th (266.8 ypg)
Run Offense: 15th (115.2 ypg)

Rush Offense with Mendenhall starting:
135.8 rushing yards per game (would be good for 9th in the NFL right now)
Mendenhall: 93 carries for 528 yards (5.7 ypc) and 4 TDs

Things are definitely looking better with Mendenhall running for us...that's for sure.