More weird after more wins.
– Pittsburgh ran for 166 yards tonight, the most by the team since Week 17 of the 2022 season when the Steelers rushed for 198 in a win over the Baltimore Ravens.
– Their 166 yards on the ground tonight were more than they had in Weeks Seven and Eight combined, when they ran for 156 yards against the Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars.
– Najee Harris had a 25-yard run last night, the longest by a Steeler this season. It’s the longest run by a Steeler since Jaylen Warren had a 31-yarder against the Ravens in Week 17 last year. It’s the third-longest run by the team over the past two seasons.
– I’ve repeated the stat before, but it continues to be worth mentioning. Now for eight straight games, the Steelers have had fewer:
1. First Downs
2. Yards From Scrimmage
3. Plays Run
than their opponents. In every game this season, they’ve been outproduced in those categories. Last night, they had one fewer first down and 25 fewer yards than the Titans. And yet, they’re 5-3 with a negative 30-point differential.
– All five of the Steelers’ wins this season have been by seven or fewer points. Their two losses have been by 23 or more. Those five such wins now lead the NFL. The only other team that could tie them this weekend is the Philadelphia Eagles, who have four.
Over the last two seasons, the Steelers have 12 such wins. That’s second in the NFL only trailing the Minnesota Vikings’ 14.
– A little overly specific but LB Kwon Alexander is the first Steelers LB to intercept a pass with under a minute to go inside the Steelers’ own 5-yard line since James Harrison did it in 2016 against Washington. But that came in a multi-score victory (back when Pittsburgh won that way).
Per Pro Football Reference, no Steeler has done it in a one-possession game since at least 1994, as far back as its data tracks. The closest example is LB Keyaron Fox pick-sixing Brett Favre in 2009 when he caught the ball at the Steelers’ 18 with just over a minute left.
– George Pickens is the 24th player in Steelers history to end a game with at least two receptions but finish with negative yards. His two grabs went for minus-one yard. Though a franchise rarity, it actually marks the fifth-straight season it’s happened. Let’s look back…
2019 – WR Johnny Holton: 2 catches, -1 yards
2020 – RB James Conner: 2 catches, -2 yards
2021 – WR Ray-Ray McCloud: 2 catches, -3 yards
2022 – WR Steven Sims: 2 catches, -1 yards
2023 – WR George Pickens: 2 catches, -1 yards
Kinda wild.
– Pickens, though, had five targets. That’s more than anyone else in team history where they caught at least two passes and lost yardage. The last NFL WR to “achieve” that was the Rams’ Cooper Kupp, who caught three passes for minus-one yard on five targets in a Week 10 game last season, a game in which he was ultimately injured in.
– Over his last two games, eight quarters, Pickens has just three catches for 20 yards. At least he has a touchdown. He should’ve had another.
– Over the last two games, the breakdown of Steelers wide receivers’ numbers broken into two groups:
Diontae Johnson: 15 receptions, 175 yards, 1 TD
Not Named Diontae Johnson: 7 receptions, 56 yards, 1 TD
– And, of course, Johnson caught his first regular-season touchdown since Week 17 of the 2021 season, a streak of 119 receptions.
– TE Darnell Washington has only two receptions in his rookie year. But they’ve both gone for first downs.
– Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins had four catches for 60 yards in the first half. He did not have a catch in the second half.
– For the first time since Week 16 of last season, the Steelers weren’t sacked. Over the last three seasons, this is only the fourth such instance.
– Pittsburgh had 10 penalties last, its most in a game since 2021 against the Minnesota Vikings. The last time the Steelers had this many penalties in a win came in 2020 when they were flagged 10 times in a 26-21 victory over the Denver Broncos.
– Finally, the Steelers didn’t give the ball away against the Titans. That’s the third win they’ve had this season without turning it over, tied for the NFL’s top mark of the season. We’ll see if that holds exiting the weekend. They’re tied with the 49ers, Cowboys, and Colts.
Over the last two years, Pittsburgh has 10 such wins, tied with the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers for most in the NFL.
