This is what it can look like. The issue is whether this formula can get them where they want to go.
The Steelers snapped their two-game losing streak in decisive fashion in Sin City with a 32-13 victory over the Raiders that left them at 4-2 with a lot of room for feel-good about the way they looked doing it.
On offense, they entered the game with the same starting five along the offensive line for the second game in a row – the first time all season that happened – and the running game responded with its most productive showing of 2024 with 183 yards (more than 40 yards better than the 141 vs. Denver), a 5.2 average (more than 1 full yard better than the 4.1 vs. Indianapolis, and 3 rushing touchdowns (1 more than the 2 vs. Indianapolis).
With all due respect to the blocking generated by the combined efforts of those same five linemen plus tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington and some nice work by the guys on the perimeter, it was Najee Harris who did the heavy lifting. Actually, a better description would be that Harris did the carving.
Yes, Harris finished with 106 yards, a 7.6 average, and a 36-yard touchdown, and it's also true that after coming into the game ranked fourth in the NFL in broken tackles, he added to his total yesterday. But it should be noted that included in Harris' 14 carries were gains of 13, 15, 26, and 36 yards, which are nice chunks for a 242-pound man.
And whatever the Raiders defenders had after dealing with that, Justin Fields sucked the remaining life out of them. Fields finished with 59 yards on 11 carries, but once you subtract the kneel-downs in victory formation, he had 7 carries/scrambles that were big plays in securing the victory. He converted a second-and-10 with a 14-yard run; a second-and-13 with an 18-yard run. And then to cap the 6-play, 30-yard drive that followed a takeaway, Fields ran for 7 yards on first-and-10 at the Raiders 12-yard line; and for 3 and a touchdown on fourth-and-1 from the 3-yard line.
NFL quarterbacks typically can be categorized as either mobile, a scrambler, or a runner. Since Fields entered the NFL in 2021 as Chicago's No. 1 pick (11th overall), only Lamar Jackson has more yards rushing, and only Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen have more rushing touchdowns. Fields is a runner.
"I just thought it was a collective effort, not only the bigs but the perimeter people," said Coach Mike Tomlin about the team's running game. "And obviously Najee and everyone else. But I just thought anytime you have a run output like that it's not an individual, it is a collective. That breakout run (Harris' 36-yard touchdown), I think (Pat Freiermuth) sealed the corner and allowed him to go. When I look at it, I just felt the collective energy and effort that was necessary."
The question is whether Fields can reside in even the same zip code as Jackson, Hurts, and Allen reside as passers, because navigating an upcoming schedule still to include a home-and-home vs. the Ravens, Bengals, and Browns, plus one-offs vs. Washington, Philadelphia, and Kansas City is going to require more than 14-of-24 (58.3 percent) for 145 yards, with no touchdowns, no interceptions, and a rating of 75.9.
That's because sometimes the defense will have 3 takeaways – one of which was a fumble recovery at the opponent's 30-yard line, one of which was a forced fumble at the 1-yard line, and one of which was an interception and return to the opponent's 7-yard line – but most of the time it won't. And sometimes special teams will contribute a blocked punt, as it did vs. the Raiders that's recovered at the opponent's 9-yard line, but most of the time it won't.
In those instances when the defense and special teams don't make those kinds of contributions, the Steelers are going to need an NFL-level passing game, and right now the word that bests describes Fields' passing is "sometimes."
Sometimes he sees it and makes throws on-time and on-target, and sometimes one of those three elements is missing. By all accounts, Fields is a hard worker who's coachable and a good teammate, but can he become a guy who upgrades to seeing it and making throws on time and on target most of the time, and is it even fair to expect that to happen now. Because now is when the Steelers can send a defense onto the field that contains dynamic players on every level of the unit, plus special teams that have a punter averaging 47.6 yards per, a placekicker converting 95.2 percent, and units blocking a field goal and a punt in the last 2 games.
For the first time this season, Russell Wilson was the No. 2 quarterback, and that designation wasn't bestowed on him for perfect attendance at meetings. Wilson was cleared medically to be a full participant in practice, and Coach Mike Tomlin liked what he saw.
"First and foremost, my No. 1 agenda was that I wanted him to be able to display his health, his ability to not only move but protect himself. I was really comfortable with what I saw there," said Tomlin. "The rest of the equation is about knocking the rust off and gaining a rapport, a relationship with the battery of receivers and things of that nature. And I thought it was a really good week from that perspective."
Eventually, Tomlin will get to the point where he has seen enough of Wilson to set in motion the original plan regarding the quarterback position. As a refresher, here's what Tomlin said about it a couple of days before the Aug. 17 preseason game vs. Buffalo:
"(The depth chart at quarterback) is probably in the same place that I've described it throughout the spring and the summer. Both guys are vying for the role. Russ has pole position because of the collective body of work, the totality of the body of work that he brings into the circumstance. Both guys are new to us. We're getting an opportunity to get to know them through this process. It's been a great process. Now that Russ has full health, it's going to heat up over the next couple of weeks, and I'm excited about watching it happen."
That heat was cooled significantly by a recurrence of Wilson's calf injury sustained the day players reported to training camp, and the veteran with 9 Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl win on his resume was an afterthought. But there are things about Wilson – the way he sees the field, his ability to make anticipatory throws, his infectious been-there done-that persona coupled with an inclusive mentality and an up-beat approach when it comes to his teammates – that put him in the pole position and kept him there for the duration of the offseason program. His new teammates voted him a captain.
It seems like there's going to come a time to revisit all that. Soon. And it's because of "now."
Now is when the Steelers have to attack an 11-game stretch within a schedule that's more challenging than any other team's over the same period. Now is when they have a defense and special teams that look capable of handling their ends of the bargain. Now is when they're starting to get back some of their walking wounded. Now is when stacking enough wins through those 11 games to get where they want to go and do what they need to do once they get there is going to require more from the offense than a running game.
Finding out if Wilson has what it takes to be the difference makes too much sense. It's going to happen, because it has to happen. In the meantime, it's always fun beating the Raiders in their stadium when it has been taken over by Terrible Towels.
