Tim Benz: Continuity helped Steelers, other AFC favorites in Week 1. Expect the same in Week 2.
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When it came to offseason NFL coverage, one drum was consistently pounded as a major positive for the Pittsburgh Steelers heading into this odd 2020 campaign.
Cohesion on the coaching staff and roster.
Simply having more talent than a lot of other teams doesn’t hurt either. However, getting that talent up to speed faster than clubs with more change and less continuity was supposed to be an added benefit.
The theory was those attributes of familiarity would pay major dividends given the choppy offseason workout schedule and lack of preseason games.
After one week, the thesis seems to be playing out. Not just for the Steelers but for the rest of the AFC power brokers.
• The Baltimore Ravens — favorites to win the AFC North for a third straight year — thrashed the Cleveland Browns, 38-6.
• The Kansas City Chiefs began their Super Bowl defense with a two-touchdown victory over the Houston Texans.
• In the AFC East, the New England Patriots won the division last year and the Buffalo Bills earned a wild card with an 11-win season. They both won their opening-week contests by 10 points.
• The Tennessee Titans went to the AFC Championship Game last year. They eked out a 16-14 victory in Denver. But the Titans would’ve won by more had kicker Stephen Gostkowski not missed three field goals and an extra point.
And the Steelers won by 10 on the road against the New York Giants. Most NFL pundits project at least a 10-win season and a return to the playoffs in Pittsburgh with a healthy Ben Roethlisberger back at quarterback.
All of those teams are returning the same head coach. Many are returning coordinators on both sides of the ball. The only team of that bunch with a newly acquired quarterback is the Patriots.
So it appears all that happy talk about continuity offsetting a tumultuous offseason had some merit.
“It did feel that way,” Steelers offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said of his unit. He said that the franchise’s cohesion was particularly noticeable during the win in New Jersey. For two reasons.
First, the Steelers didn’t get off to a great start yet managed to adjust late in the first half to spark victory. Second, they had to prepare for a Giants’ game plan with no tape thanks to an entirely new coaching staff.
“I thought the guys did a heckuva job adjusting, hanging together, working out the kinks of communication,” Fichtner said. “You want to start fast and play well throughout a game. We can’t ride those roller coasters. Communicate well. Fix issues. And move forward.”
Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick had the same assessment on defense.
“We replaced some guys. Moved some people around. But, for the most part, everybody is in the same spot. You’ve seen real good execution. Good communication. Just small little details to work on,” Fitzpatrick said Thursday.
Granted, scheduling didn’t hurt either. Of those teams listed above, only the Chiefs played an opponent (Houston) with a record above .500 last year.
But to underscore the point, look at the results. Many of those losing clubs from Week 1 have made significant changes. The Browns and Giants changed head coaches. Drew Lock is entering his first full season as the Broncos’ starting quarterback. Even the Texans made significant roster moves as they added David Johnson while subtracting DeAndre Hopkins.
Need further evidence of how far behind the curve some of the AFC’s rebuilding teams may be? You could get it this weekend as the Steelers, Titans, Bills and Chiefs square off against non-playoff teams from a year ago.
A hallmark of the NFL is parity. Early-season upsets are common. The unexpected is always expected.
But if this trend from the NFL’s opening weekend holds, look for a bit more predictability early on the AFC side of the ledger.
For instance, this week at Heinz Field. The Steelers will win, 25-16.