With the Pittsburgh Steelers sitting relatively comfortably atop the AFC with an 8-2 record, there has been no shortage of impressive individual performances by the team's top starters. On offense and defense, Pittsburgh has boasted numerous players who have stood out in particular weeks and in particular contests.

Here's a look at the best days the Steelers' best players have had so far in the 2017 NFL season.

8. A Pair of Sacks

In the season opener, the Steelers were without starting outside linebacker Bud Dupree, who was sidelined with a shoulder injury. As a result, backup Anthony Chickillo was elevated to first-team linebacker and proved that Pittsburgh's depth at the position is in a healthy place.

In the game, a 21-18 defeat of the Cleveland Browns, Chickillo recorded six combined tackles, including two for a loss, two quarterback hits and two sacks. Considering that Chickillo had just 2.5 sacks in 2016 despite seven starts shows just how much his development has progressed since being drafted by the Steelers in 2015. 

While he's had only one additional start this season—which netted him his third sack of the year—Chickillo's Week 1 performance is worthy of noting because of its multi-sack nature and his backup status. While finding every-down starters is the goal of any team's draft results, depth gems like Chickillo allow good teams to be self-sustaining even when a key player misses time with injury or suspension.

7. A Perfect Brown

Week 1 was a bit of a scare for the Steelers, who struggled with the Browns and only emerged victorious by a three-point margin. But while Pittsburgh earned three touchdowns on the day en route to a win, none belonged to top receiver Antonio Brown. Still, Brown was a major motive factor in the game, thanks to his reliability on a heavily targeted day.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger looked to Brown 11 times in Week 1, and Brown returned the generosity by catching all 11 passes, totaling 182 yards in the process. It was Brown's biggest yardage day of the season (thus far) and helped get the Steelers into scoring range often enough to pick up the win.

Pittsburgh had 13 first downs via the pass in the contest, and with Brown averaging 16.5 yards per reception, it's not difficult to see how his contributions directly led to the Steelers' win even if he wasn't the recipient of the touchdown passes that scored their points.

6. Bell Sets the Tone

A week after being completely dismantled—at home—by the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5, the Steelers had a major road test on their hands, taking on the Kansas City Chiefs in their home stadium of Arrowhead. But Pittsburgh managed to pull out the victory, thanks mostly to a major effort put forth by running back Le'Veon Bell.

Though Bell was held in check in the passing game, catching three passes on six targets for 12 yards, he ended the day with his biggest rushing performance of the season to date, with 179 yards earned on his 32 carries. He also scored the first of the Steelers' two touchdowns of the game, giving Pittsburgh a second-quarter lead that the team never relinquished.

5. Getting the JuJu Going

In the first seven games of the season, rookie receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster had established himself as a reliable possession and slot receiver but not particularly a game-maker (or breaker). But in Week 8, Smith-Schuster became a household name thanks to his breakout performance against the Detroit Lions that has led to him being a bona fide starter for Pittsburgh.

Smith-Schuster saw 10 targets from Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and ended the day with seven catches for a season-high 193 yards and a touchdown that gave the Steelers 20 points, a comfortable lead and, when the final whistle blew, the win.

To put the performance in perspective, Smith-Schuster recorded over a third of his current 568 receiving yards in the defeat of Detroit. And only two wideouts, the Houston Texans' DeAndre Hopkins and the Oakland Raiders' Amari Cooper, have had more single-game receiving yards this season. Now, Smith-Schuster is a favored target of Roethlisberger's and should factor in heavily on the Steelers' push for the playoffs.

4. Heyward Brings Heat

Cameron Heyward is the Steelers' leader in sacks so far this season, with seven. Two of those were earned in the Week 11 Thursday night drubbing of the Tennessee Titans, further cementing the defensive end's key role in Pittsburgh's ability to rush the passer.

In addition to Heyward sacking Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota twice, 2.5 of his three tackles were for a loss and he had three more hits on Mariota. The pressure resulted in a highly flustered, inaccurate Mariota, who threw four interceptions in the game (and was sacked another three times by Pittsburgh's defense). He also helped create a nearly impenetrable wall in Pittsburgh's front seven that limited the Titans' rushing output to just 52 yards on 21 tries.

Heyward is on pace to have the best statistical season of his career and is a true contender for Defensive Player of the Year. Though sometimes under the radar—a drawback perhaps of being a defensive end in a 3-4-minded scheme—Heyward is the centerpiece of an effective Steelers pass rush. His multi-sack Week 11 was just one of many games in which Heyward's efforts have shifted the momentum in Pittsburgh's direction.

3. Bell Rushes for Triple Digits

In the first three weeks of the season, it appeared that Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell was carrying a little rust in him after a training camp and preseason away from the team. In Weeks 1, 2 and 3, Bell had 32, 87 and 61 yards rushing, respectively, and had only one game in which he carried over 15 times.

But any lingering ill effects of his extended downtime finally disappeared for good in Week 4, when the team traveled to Baltimore to play the rival Ravens. Bell was the centerpiece of Pittsburgh's offense, with 35 carries resulting in 144 rushing yards and two rushing scores. He also added 42 yards on four receptions.

This was Bell's first game of the year with over 100 yards rushing, and the 14 points for which he was responsible directly led to Pittsburgh's comfortable, 26-9 road win against an AFC North foe. It was also a sign that he was getting back on track; now, Bell averages nearly 89 yards rushing per game and leads the league in both rushing attempts and rushing yards and is responsible for all five of his team's run-game scores.

2. Ben Bounces Back

In the first half of the Steelers' eventual 40-17 defeat of the Tennessee Titans in Week 11, Pittsburgh's offensive dominance was nowhere to be found. Though quarterback Ben Roethlisberger led the team to a quick score in the first quarter, the team's next three red-zone appearances resulted in Chris Boswell field goals. Roethlisberger had completed only 10 of his 22 pass attempts by halftime for 114 yards. He had also been sacked twice.

However, Roethlisberger's and the offense's halftime adjustments were exceedingly effective, and when the dust cleared, he ended the day with 30 completions on 45 attempts for 299 yards and four touchdowns. He threw three touchdown passes while going 20-of-23 for 185 yards (while being sacked once) in the second half.

Though the performance—Pittsburgh's most recent—does not confirm that the Steelers' struggles with scoring and offensive efficiency have come to a halt, it does show the team's ability to identify what doesn't work and to turn it around quickly. Roethlisberger is the most important cog in that particular machine, and his second-half rebound led to a decisive, statement-making win.

1. What Brown Can Do for You

Steelers receiver Antonio Brown has had numerous games this season in which he helped carry the entire offense on his back, making him a major reason why the Steelers are atop their conference standings and have a commanding lead in the AFC North. He's the league's leading receiver in catches (70), yards (1,026) and yards per game (102.6). However, only once, in Week 11, has he thus far scored multiple touchdowns in a single game.

Against the Titans, Brown was the recipient of the Steelers' game-opening touchdown, a 41-yard deep ball thrown by Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh's first possession. But he also caught two game-defining scores in the second half, marking just the second time in Brown's career that he's had three touchdowns in a game. He ended the day with 10 catches on 13 targets for 144 yards, leading the team in all three categories.

While Brown's performance was dependent on Roethlisberger's halftime adjustments, Roethlisberger's second half would not been as impressive without a receiver such as Brown upon whom he can rely and trust. Though Brown has had many notable games this season—and numerous Steelers who have also put forth performances of note—none stands out larger than his most recent effort.