2023 Steelers Week 7 Postgame - What We Learned From The Steelers Win Over The Rams

The Steelers certainly have a flair for the dramatic.

After three uninspired quarters of football, the offense came alive in the

fourth quarter with 14 unanswered points to defeat the Los Angeles Rams by a score of 24-17.

With this win, the team improves their record to 4-2. Even with this, there are still many aspects of this team that need to be fixed. Here is what we learned after this win.

What Did We Learn After Week 7?

The Team Cannot Progress Offensively Without Consistency

It seems each game has the same formula: no scoring on the first possession, promising drives that end in frustrating ways and little to no points. At this rate, it's a miracle that the team was able to win the games it has with an offense that is lacking in structure and consistency. True enough, it gets the occasional splash plays such as Kenny Pickett's 39-yard completion to Diontae Johnson, but those plays for some reason always come during the late portions of a typical game.

What they did in the fourth quarter needs to be replicated in the first three quarters of each game they play going forward. If they can get this together, they should easily become playoff contenders.

Diontae Johnson Was Sorely Missed

Diontae Johnson came back and made a huge impact with his ability to consistently create separation. His 39-yard reception was the catalyst for the Steelers success in the fourth quarter. His element to the offense was well-needed on this night.

The Offensive Line Played Well

Putting aside the two sacks and the holding call, the offensive line was solid. Many have scrutinized the decision to start Dan Moore Jr. and left tackle in favor of rookie Broderick Jones. As it turned out, he did a great job protecting Pickett's blind side, especially in the fourth quarter when the offense exploded. What happens from this point remains to be seen, but they should be encouraged by this performance.

The Steelers Secondary Is Still A Mess

Much of the fanbase would point out both Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace as the source of the problem in this aspect. Yet, the one element that we need to review is coaching, because this might be an even bigger problem. Firstly, Rams receiver Puka Nucua has his way in the first half. The reason for this stems from the designated assignments for him: why would you want either Peterson or Wallace matching up against Nucua instead of rookie Joey Porter Jr.? It took them four quarters to realize that Porter Jr. was the only person able to cover Nacua.

Just like the offense, the Steelers defense has been engineered to make games more difficult than they should be.