The National Football League has transitioned away from the ground-and-pound game over the last decade-plus to more of a high-flying passing attack with offenses racing to see who can reach 30 points first rather than playing the time-of-possession game to keep the ball away from the opposing offense.
The Pittsburgh Steelers had been one of those teams that could beat you on the ground as well as through the air nearly a decade ago, having one of the best offenses in the league headlines by the Killer Bs in Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown. All three are no longer with the team as Pittsburgh is going through a transition period with Kenny Pickett at quarterback, looking to get its passing offense back to the heights it experienced over a half decade ago.
Still, the Steelers have found a recipe for success on offense, going old school with their focus on the running game. It may not be matching the trend of the rest of the league, but the way DL Cameron Heyward sees it, it is just fine to get them into the postseason.
“We have a recipe that can work,” Heyward said according to Mike Florio of PFT after the team’s Week 12 win at Cincinnati. “We don’t know how we’re gonna get in there, but we’ve got to get in there. Once you get in the playoffs, all bets are off.”
We saw the passing game take a notable step forward last week at Cincinnati after Pittsburgh fired OC Matt Canada as Pickett threw for 278 yards, his single-game high this season. Everyone got involved as TE Pat Freiermuth enjoyed the best game of his career, posting 120 yards on nine catches while WRs Diontae Johnson and George Pickens also got involved.
Still, the run game reigned supreme for yet another week as the combination of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren went for 148 yards on the ground with Harris having his best game of the season against the Bengals. The run game has been hot for over a month now, being a constant Pittsburgh can lean on.
“You can’t hide from that offensive line what they’re doing as a run game, between Najee and Jaylen, I think it’s becoming a very strong run game, and I just think we’re going on offense,” Heyward said.
Pittsburgh may be unconventional compared to teams like the Chiefs and Dolphins, who have high-volume passing attacks, but the Steelers’ recipe of running the ball, playing sound defense, and having Pickett take care of the football has this team sitting at 7-4 with the top Wild-Card spot in the AFC. With an easy schedule coming up and a rematch against the Baltimore Ravens still yet to come, it’s entirely possible Pittsburgh can win the division and possibly lock up a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Plenty of scenarios need to break right in order for that to happen, and it’s best to focus on one week at a time. But there’s a newfound sense of optimism surrounding the Steelers and their chances of not only getting into the postseason but being able to do some damage if they get there.
