Even though the Pittsburgh Steelers are one of just five unbeaten teams left in the league with an elite defense and an offense making strides, Colin Cowherd isn’t buying the hype.
“It’s a hot start, but let’s settle down,” Cowherd said. “I feel like we should settle down a little with the Steelers.”
Cowherd famously rails against the Steelers’ philosophy of investing money in their defense instead of their offense. Of course, he’s continually ignored about the draft capital Pittsburgh has put into its offense, young players not yet on their second contract, but his point about the team not scoring enough has always been fair.
The NFL is functioning differently this year with points and passing yards down as teams play more two-high coverages and take away the big play. Pittsburgh has built a team that can combat that. Tough and physical with a strong will to run the ball is the best way to counter those looks. Through three games, the Steelers only trail the Green Bay Packers in rushing attempts.
For Colin Cowherd, the main issue has nothing to do with the Steelers itself. It’s who they’ve played.
“They face Kirk Cousins in the opener coming off a surgery who just wasn’t moving,” he said. “Then they faced Bo Nicks in his second career start and a Denver roster that’s okay. And then yesterday they faced 50, 60 percent at best Justin Herbert, who left the game early.
“They’re averaging one touchdown a game, which is tied for last in the league. I’m sorry Steelers fans, there’s a ceiling to this.”
Pittsburgh hasn’t beaten an elite offense but let’s add context to Cowherd’s context. After losing to the Steelers, the Falcons look like a capable group, one that upset the Philadelphia Eagles and hung tough with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Broncos bounced back and boat-raced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Nix throwing for over 200 yards and no interceptions while Denver ran for 136 yards. And the Chargers weren’t exactly lighting up the scoreboard before Herbert got hurt as Pittsburgh completely took away their No. 1 running game. It’s a world where few quarterbacks are putting up gaudy numbers and if the Steelers can keep stuffing the run, they’ll make opponents one-dimensional.
Still, more points will be needed. Since World War II, only the 1988 Buffalo Bills and 2024 Steelers have started a season 3-0 while scoring no more than three touchdowns.
Colin Cowherd conceded that QB Justin Fields looks like the real deal.
“The real winner here is Justin Fields. There is no way in the world they’re taking him out,” he said. “He’s completing 73 percent of his throws. Arthur Smith has clearly coached the reckless out of him.”
While not official, there’s no expectation that the Steelers will bench Fields even if Russell Wilson is healthy this weekend. Instead, he’ll be a backup, giving Pittsburgh as strong a quarterback collective as there is in football.
Three games don’t make a season. And Pittsburgh faces an end-of-season gauntlet that includes some of the NFL’s top teams. But after doubting the Steelers every step of the way this offseason, Cowherd should at least credit them for what they’ve done so far. Pittsburgh has no control over the schedule and who it has played. What the Steelers can control is what happens inside stadiums and so far, they’ve been dominant.
