In Week 1, the Pittsburgh Steelers showed everyone how they want to play football. They were tough, physical, and gritty, pushing the Atlanta Falcons around to end the game. Arthur Smith made it obvious that was the style of football he wants the offense to play.
While peaking to the media on Thursday, RB Najee Harris was asked if the offensive players are comfortable with the way Smith wants them to play.
“We’re comfortable,” Harris said via the team’s YouTube channel. “It’s a 15-round fight, boxing us. He’s one to put it in those terms. You’re not always gonna get the first-round knockout. You’re not always gonna score on the first drive or the second or the third. It’s not about what you’re doing now. It’s about the long four quarters. It might not work this drive, but eventually, something’s gonna pop.”
The comparison to boxing is an apt one. It sounds like the Steelers look at every game as a marathon, not a sprint. That lines up with how their team is built. They aren’t the Kansas City Chiefs. They aren’t going to score on long touchdown passes in every game. There are very few teams that can do that though. The Steelers want to play football their way.
The Steelers aren’t built to win by knockout, they’re built to win by decision. They want to whittle teams down as the game goes, showing that they’re both more physical and better conditioned. That’s why they invested so heavily in their offensive line and brought Smith on as their offensive coordinator.
Maybe no team has played that style of football as well as the Tennessee Titans when Smith was their offensive coordinator. They had Derrick Henry, and that helped, but the philosophy was the same. With Harris and Jaylen Warren, the Steelers hope to play a similar brand of football.
The first game of the season was a good start to that too. It was a close game, but by the time the fourth quarter came around, the Falcons were beat. The Steelers dominated the line of scrimmage and imposed their will on the Falcons. They didn’t score a knockout, but they did pop when needed. If they continue embracing that toughness, they should work well as a unit under Smith.
