Each NFL team’s biggest burning question in 2018

Pittsburgh Steelers: Is this young defense ready to take the next step?

The Pittsburgh Steelers went into the 2017 NFL season with one thing in mind, and that was to beat the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. They had been drubbed by the Pats the year before, and the window with Ben Roethlisberger as their quarterback seemed to be closing.

While the Steelers had another solid season, they were not able to even get to the AFC title game, as they were shockingly beat by the Jacksonville Jaguars at home in the Divisional Round. It was a very disappointing end to the season, but the Steelers should rebound in 2018, as they have all of their horses returning.

Star running back Le’Veon Bell will be back, even though he wants to get a long-term deal, and the wide receiver combination of Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster is one of the best in the AFC. On the other side of the ball, the Steelers defense continues to get better, and younger, and they may be ready to take the next step.

In the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, the Steelers selected T.J. Watt out of Wisconsin. The younger brother of J.J., Watt quickly established himself as a leader on this Steelers defense, and should only get better in year two. This year, they selected safety Terrell Edmunds in the first round, and he is going to be an elite defensive back in this league.

Everybody talks about the firepower the Steelers have on offense, but if this defense continues to get better, they are going to be very hard to beat come playoff time. The defense has led this team in years passed when the Steelers were Super Bowl champions, and they are starting to build something special on that side of the ball once again.