The Steelers’ game is sustainable

Nine games into the 2023 regular season, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a 6-3 record, tied with the Cleveland Browns for second place in the AFC North Division, one game behind the leading Baltimore Ravens. whom they already beat, and one game above the last place in the sector, the Cincinnati Bengals. They beat the Green Bay Packers this Sunday, as part of Week 10.

Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise to see the Steelers with such a positive outlook ahead. After all, head coach Mike Tomlin has never suffered a losing record in 15 previous seasons as Pittsburgh’s head coach.

Maybe we should be completely flabbergasted by what we’ve seen from the Steelers so far.

After all, their starting quarterback Kenny Pickett has thrown fewer touchdown passes (six) than Jimmy Garoppolo (seven), Bryce Young (eight), Gardner Minshew (eight) or Justin Fields (10), who have started fewer games. . . Pickett has also thrown for fewer yards (1,616) than Minshew (1,721), Desmond Ridder (1,740), Zach Wilson (1,771) and Matthew Stafford (2,070), again all with fewer games started.

Their leading rusher, Najee Harris, has fewer rushing yards (464) than James Cook (506), Jahmyr Gibbs (476), David Montgomery (501), Breece Hall (521), all with fewer carries. Harris has scored on the ground just three times, even fewer than Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson (four), who has only appeared in four games this year, none since Week 5.

Their top receiver, George Pickens, has fewer receptions (33) than a Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back (Rachaad White, 35), the Atlanta Falcons’ No. 2 tight end (Jonnu Smith, 35) and even a Chicago tight end . Bears (Cole Kmet, 46), among many others in the NFL; He is tied for 62nd in the league with three other players. Tomlin said Pickens’ discontent has been “a thorn in his side.”

But perhaps the most surprising statistic after Pittsburgh’s first nine games of the season is that in none of those games have they outscored their rivals. Historically, the offense has been anemic in terms of yardage.

Luckily for Pittsburgh, because games are defined by points and not yards!

But the offensive anemia has also affected the points. The Week 10 game marked just the second time all season for the Steelers that they scored a touchdown on consecutive drives, after also doing so in Week 7 against the Los Angeles Rams. As if that were not enough, it is the first time in Pickett’s career that they have scored a touchdown in the first two possessions of a game.

Additionally, as a team, they have scored the same number of touchdowns (15) as the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers, clubs that have combined for three wins this season.

So how are the Steelers, the 27th team in a league with 32 points scored, doing, winning with 156?

Well, the contemporary narrative is that you have to cascade points to win in today’s NFL. But the Miami Dolphins, who lead the NFL with 285 points scored after nine games, have the same 6-3 record as the Steelers and have yet to know what it’s like to defeat a team with a positive record on the season. Worse yet, the Los Angeles Chargers are the ninth-highest scoring team this season, and their record is just 4-5 after falling again today.

And that’s what defensive players are paid for. The Steelers are the 26th unit in yards allowed, with 3,417 – compared to the 2,552 they accumulate, ranking 29th in the NFL -, but they are tenth in points allowed with 182, tied with the same Packers they beat today .

Pittsburgh has become accustomed to winning very close games, but the score is much wider when it loses, as indicated by the total points scored in the year, 156, which ends up being anecdotal. A loss is a loss, regardless of the margin. In addition, they have been able to take care of possession of the ball, with just eight turnovers, to rank as the second best in the NFL, tying with three other franchises. However, they are one of four teams tied for the league lead in steals, with 18, and their +10 turnover/steals margin ties them with the Bengals for the best in the league.

Pittsburgh has become accustomed to winning very close games, but the score is much wider when it loses, as indicated by the total points scored in the year, 156, which ends up being anecdotal. A loss is a loss, regardless of the margin. In addition, they have been able to take care of possession of the ball, with just eight turnovers, to rank as the second best in the NFL, tying with three other franchises. However, they are one of four teams tied for the league lead in steals, with 18, and their +10 turnover/steal margin ties them with the Bengals for the best in the league.

The Steelers’ opportunism is also evident when you consider that they have only led a total of 2:44:28 all season, the seventh-fewest in the NFL. That is to say. Pittsburgh has known how to take advantage when it matters most, in the final moments. And that’s notwithstanding a game against Green Bay where he was on top for most of the game. Otherwise, the total time advantage would have been much smaller.

Tomlin also leads a disciplined team. The Steelers are the 10th-least penalized team in the league in terms of total penalties (including declined ones) and are the sixth-best in terms of yards allowed by those penalties.

Individually, T.J. Watt is one of three players with double-digit sacks (10.5), just a half-sack behind co-leaders Myles Garrett and Danielle Hunter. He and Alex Highsmith each forced two fumbles, while Watt recovered three. Both have defensive touchdowns on the year. Levi Wallace and Damontae Kazee are among the 50 players with multiple interceptions this season.

You don’t gain yardage, but it makes it easier to get points. The Steelers are also second to last in margin of possession time, at -4:56. It’s okay to trust the defense, but it’s not okay to overload it.

As the days go by, fatigue accumulates – not to mention injuries – and the wear and tear on this defense will be important in the final stretch, if things do not change.

The Steelers have won and there are no arguments against success; Victory makes up for everything. But the worst thing Pittsburgh can do is assume it will be easy to keep winning. For the rest of the campaign, a period of matchups against the Arizona Cardinals and the New England Patriots, and a visit to the Colts, seems to be the only thing missing. Also pending are return games against the Browns and Ravens, an away date against the Seattle Seahawks, and two games against the Bengals who, surely, will be hungry and will continue in the fight for the playoffs.

The fact that things have been, does not imply that they will continue to be. The Steelers won, although several indicators suggest they could have lost more. The value of these statistics is for reference, but trends have historical weight. There’s a reason it’s hard to win when you’re outmatched in a lot of those areas.

Pittsburgh has time to correct its actions and the wins in the first half of the year provide a good margin for error. The 6-3 record does not deceive, but it would be a mistake to believe that it is sustainable to continue winning like this.