Pittsburgh Steelers WR Allen Robinson II traded a helmet for a headset on Tuesday Night as he co-hosted The Player’s Point on SiriusXM NFL Radio, alongside Carolina Panthers TE Colin Thompson. On the episode, Robinson talked about how he expects Acrisure Stadium to be loud on Thursday Night for Pittsburgh’s Week Nine matchup with the Tennessee Titans. He also talked about the Steelers’ support around the country and how loud Black and Gold fans are during road games.
“I anticipate it being rocking,” Robinson said about the crowd on Thursday. “I don’t think I’ve played in Pittsburgh yet and it hasn’t been. I even remember running out in some of those preseason games, those are some weekday games, and just running out the tunnel for those, the stadium was rocking. The Pittsburgh fan base is second to none. They bring the juice every week, road or home. They’ve really impressed me in some of our road wins that we’ve had, seeing the turnout of the Steelers’ fan base, it’s impressive. I’ve never seen nothing like it.”
“When they travel, you can see the yellow towels in the stadium,” he added, saying the team has the best traveling fan base across the NFL. “I don’t know if it’s the movement of the towels or what it is, but it just always seems like there’s so many Steelers fans. Being apart of the Terrible Towels and seeing it on the road, it’s a special sight.”
There’s no doubt that the crowd has had an impact for Pittsburgh this season. In road wins against the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Rams, both Allegiant Stadium and SoFi Stadium were basically comprised of a Steelers home crowd; the Raiders even had to go to silent counts at home due to the crowd of Steelers fans. Having that sort of advantage on the road is huge for any team, and it explains why the Steelers are 2-1 on the road this season.
Pittsburgh’s fan base is one of the biggest in the country, with one reason for that being the team’s success in the ’70s spurring fans from all over the country, and those fans passing it down in their families. The Steelers are a national brand, and a team that also travels well. Combined with having fans around the country and fans traveling from Pittsburgh to other road venues, and it makes it easy to see how they can take over opposing venues.
With the Steelers in the midst of a three-game homestand, the crowd has to continue to come out and support them. With a primetime game on Thursday, there’s no doubt that Acrisure will be loud, attempting to rattle Titans rookie QB Will Levis. Pittsburgh’s primetime Monday Night Football game in Week Two had a crowd that multiple Steelers credited for helping them win, and maybe that can be the case again on Thursday. Robinson, who previously played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams, hasn’t experienced a fan base like Pittsburgh’s yet, and it seems like he’s enjoying it.
While the fans have to continue to come out to support, the Steelers need to then give them something to cheer. The offense has been terrible this season, and that was no different in front of a rain-soaked crowd in Week Eight on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. The Steelers mustered just 10 points in a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and their execution has to be better.
If the offense doesn’t get better soon, this team is going nowhere fast. For a season where the Steelers were expected to be a playoff team, and maybe actually win a playoff game for the first time since 2016, a season that ends without a playoff berth would be a disappointment. There’s a long way to go before that’s reality, but the offense needs to get better soon for the Steelers to have a chance.
