It’s easy to talk to the talk. Much harder to walk the walk. So Mike Tomlin is skipping the first part, knowing that even if he painted the rosiest picture of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2024 offense, none of that matters when the ball is kicked off Sunday in Atlanta.
Meeting with reporters for his first Tuesday press conference of the season, Tomlin declined to give a rah-rah speech about the Steelers’ offensive potential.
“Those are just words and really at the end of the day, it’s somewhat meaningless,” Tomlin said via the team’s YouTube channel when asked if the offense had more “firepower” this year. “We’ll have an opportunity to put some tape out there this weekend that’s kind of reflective of that discussion.
“I’m more of a doer than a talker. Talking glowingly, particularly when you’re undefeated this time of year, is easy. And I’m not attracted to easy. We’re just gonna work. And we’re gonna put some tape out there that’s kind of reflective of our intentions.”
A year ago, the Steelers felt like they had turned the corner. Instead, they doubled back. After a tremendous preseason showing in which the first-team offense found the end zone on all five of its drives, the Steelers tanked once the regular season began. Even with Mason Rudolph leading the Pittsburgh to a pair of 30-point performances over the team’s final three games, the Steelers still scored fewer points per game than the 2019 version that started Mason Rudolph and Duck Hodges for most of the season.
Still, there’s reason to be optimistic. The Steelers have more talent at quarterback than they’ve had in years. Even if Russell Wilson posts an identical stat line to a season ago, 26 passing touchdowns, it’ll be more scores than the Steelers registered the past two seasons combined. The team invested heavily in its offensive line and though the group has dealt with summer injuries, none have proven to be long-term. OT Troy Fautanu could be medically cleared this week while OG Isaac Seumalo is week to week, avoiding a season-ending torn pectoral.
Scoring points is the Steelers’ top priority. They’ve ranked in the 20s in points per game for three-straight seasons. If they make it four in a row, it’ll be a franchise first. In an AFC littered with great quarterbacks, including in the Steelers’ division, it’s hard to win defensive slugfests.
That model has shown Pittsburgh can compete in the regular season but in the postseason against Buffalo’s Josh Allen or Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, it fails. Pittsburgh doesn’t have to become an elite offense. But it must be, minimum, a competent one that’s complemented by a top-five scoring defense.
