PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have already accomplished a lot of things during the 2024 season that they haven’t done in the recent past to put themselves in position to win a championship.
Since Ben Roethlisberger’s elbow injury in 2019, the Steelers have consistently had a good-to-great defense. They have consistently been great in terms of turnover ratio. But the offense has been a different story.
At times, they’ve run the ball well. At times, they’ve passed the ball OK. The only thing their offensive line has been consistent at is being inconsistent.
But perhaps the greatest failing of the offense has been the offense itself. Through two different coordinators and five different quarterbacks, the Steelers offense never seemed capable of making the most of its own abilities.
This year, things are different. It started with the front office finally investing in the offensive line over the last two draft cycles. Broderick Jones, Mason McCormick and Zach Frazier haven’t been perfect, but they’ve provided the stability that the line has lacked for a long time, and also possess the potential to grow into true stars down the road.
Then, the Steelers added a bona fide NFL offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith. Smith hasn’t been perfect, but he’s done the job at a high level before — and you can tell.
Russell Wilson has been there, done that before, too. There was a different level of professionalism that he brought to the Steelers quarterbacks room from the first day, but now not only that, he’s playing at the highest level he’s played in years.
In years past, when the Steelers got behind, it was game over. When the opposition looked like the kind of team that they’d need a shootout to beat, it didn’t look like they had a chance.
In the 2021 playoffs, the Steelers shut out Kansas City for the first 25 minutes of the game, and scored a touchdown themselves. The offense couldn’t muster a single point until there were four minutes left in the third quarter and the game was already over.
This team is different. They young offensive line is different. Smith is different. Wilson is different. And it’s impossible to be around the team and not feel it.
“For sure,” tight end Pat Freiermuth said after they put up 44 points against the Cincinnati Bengals. “The more we can play complementary football, sometimes when we’re lacking the defense picks us up. Sometimes the defense is struggling, we’ll pick them up. You can win a lot of games doing that.”
Freiermuth has been with the Steelers since 2021. That was his first 40-point game with the team. The last time they did it was Nov. 8, 2018. The only players on this team that were on that team are Chris Boswell, T.J. Watt, Tyler Matakevich, Cam Sutton and Cam Heyward.
Those stalwarts on the defense, which the team has been leaning on all these years, certainly see the difference.
“I think we can play different styles of ball,” Heyward said. “You need that going into the playoffs.”
The Steelers have proven they can score consistently for the first time in a long time. Entering their Week 15 game against the Eagles, they’re 10th in the league in scoring. The last time they finished in the top10? That same 2018 team.
They have checked a lot of boxes when it comes to showing that this offense can take this team farther than its predecessors.
“It builds trust,” offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said on Thursday. “That’s what you’re trying to sell. Build trust, relationships, and you need success. Otherwise, you’re still selling hope. It’s like I’m at a shareholder meeting, trying to keep it going until you make a make a profit. Having some success definitely helps.”
There’s one thing this Steelers team has yet to do to truly cement itself as a contender: beat a great team. They have a win over the Baltimore Ravens, who posses the reigning NFL MVP, but haven’t been consistently dominant this year, and the Steelers have oddly had Lamar Jackson’s number at any rate.
They’ll have two opportunities down the stretch run of the 2024 season to do just that. They’ll visit the NFC East-leading, 11-2 Eagles this week and then host the AFC-leading, 12-1 Chiefs at home on Christmas Day.
They certainly don’t need to sweep those foes. They probably don’t even need to win of those two games to lock up the AFC North title and a No. 3 seed — another win over Baltimore would likely accomplish that.
But if they want to be seen as a serious Super Bowl contender, winning one of these two games would go a long way. They’ve shown they’re better. How much better? We’ll soon find out.