The Pittsburgh Steelers defended their home field. They are 3-0 at Acrisure Stadium. For the Steelers to become a complete team capable of truly competing, they need to do the same thing on the road.
It’s never easy to win away. But Pittsburgh has a great chance to break the road blues this weekend.
The divisions in Pittsburgh are stark. Here are a few.
Points scored
Home: 28
Far: 13.5
Allowed points
Home: 20.7
Far: 23.5
Yards gained
Home: 342.3
Far: 298
Yards allowed
Home: 307.3
Far: 349.5
Aaron Rodgers sacked
Home: 1.7
Far: 4.5
Sample sizes aren’t huge, especially on the road. New England was a dump and Cleveland had a short week. There is a context for these traps. But that’s the point. The Steelers can’t make excuses for their road struggles. Very quickly, they have to get the job done. This is a point the team has brought to the table and Cam Heyward highlighted it earlier this week.
Since last year, the Steelers have lost three straight road games. The only teams with longer streaks populate the NFL’s winless clubs.
Pittsburgh has a chance to take control of its season. The confrontations are favorable, even if winning in the championship is difficult. The Steelers could run and pile up wins. It will come on the road, not at home. Pittsburgh will be away from Acrisure Stadium in four of its next five games (next week’s game in Paris is closer to a neutral site but the Steelers are technically the away team). Stacking up wins, which is what’s missing this season, means doing it in less friendly environments.
History says Tampa Bay is less worrisome. The Steelers are 6-1 all-time in Tampa Bay and have won their last four, most recently in 2018. But history doesn’t tell much. It will be hot. The Steelers will wear their black jerseys. The Buccaneers are coming off their first win of the year and a mini-bye to recover and prepare.
There is a lot to overcome. That’s what good teams do. If the Steelers want to join that group of “good guys,” they’ll start with a road win on Sunday.
Gn sports
