Reporters often have a tendency to ask players and coaches uninspiring, generic questions about how to improve the state of the team. What do you need to do in order to start winning more? That might be a typical example. And they’re usually met with appropriately pithy responses like score more points than the other team.
But apparently, when the Pittsburgh Steelers say it, they mean it. That’s the only thing that matters. As long as they have one more point than the other team at the end of regulation, it doesn’t matter how you got to that point.
And it had better not, because the Steelers’ mode of victory this year is a precarious one. They have been outgained in every single game so far this year through eight games. It is only the 34th time that has happened in NFL history. And this Steelers team is the first to ever have a winning record through it, now 5-3 and two games above .500.
In fact, they have been outgained by nearly 100 yards per week, 790 yards in total, which is rather remarkable. As I pointed out a couple weeks ago, their winning record with a substantially poor point differential is an even scarcer but equally discouraging phenomenon.
Dave Bryan last night framed it as “sustaining the unsustainable”, and apparently, if there is one team that could pull it off, it’s the Steelers. Last year’s team was one of the 34 to be outgained in each of their first eight games as well. While they did not have a winning record through that span, they are the only one of those teams to end the season with one.
And this Steelers team seems on its way to be the next, already at 5-3 with some winnable non-divisional games coming up. The Green Bay Packers, for example, are up next, and they also have the Arizona Cardinals, the Indianapolis Colts, and the New England Patriots on tap. If they win just those four games, they will have another winning record.
And yes, I know exactly what most of you were thinking after reading that paragraph. Many of you probably stopped reading and went right into the comments section. And you’re right. It’s not about getting winning records in the regular season. It’s about winning in the postseason, something this team hasn’t done in far too long.
Does this Steelers team look like one that is poised to make a postseason run? Probably not, no. But perhaps in a month or two we might think otherwise. The ground game on display last night was encouraging, and the pair of Diontae Johnson and George Pickens is still coming together. Pat Freiermuth will be coming back.
On the other side, you have Cameron Heyward just returning and getting himself back up to speed. One hopes that Minkah Fitzpatrick won’t miss too much time, but the Steelers have the pass rush to be successful. As long as Kenny Pickett can do just enough to win games, that’s all that counts in the end.
