To first win the game, you must not lose it. Though it sounds obvious and trite, it’s the philosophy coaches live by. Especially for a young Pittsburgh Steelers offense making a last-second quarterback swap early in a season when teams are figuring out exactly who and what they have. Pittsburgh avoiding key turnovers and major mistakes is a key reason why the team is 2-0, and Arthur Smith knows it.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, Smith said the Steelers not beating the Steelers is the first task before thinking about besting their opponent.
“You see a lot of games lost, more than won, in terms of teams being sloppy with the ball,” Smith said via a team-provided transcript. “We haven’t been perfect. We’ve had two on the ground and we’ve recovered them. But overall, those turnovers, you see that a lot early in the year. A lot of teams lose games early in the year, and you got to be careful how you want to protect them, because you can lose confidence, too.”
It’s how Pittsburgh has won since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement. Since 2022, the Steelers are 15-2 when they don’t turn the ball over. They’re 6-13 when they give it away once regardless of turnover differential. Given Pittsburgh’s penchant for playing close games, a turnover can mean the difference between a win or a loss. It may create a conservative and overly-protective offense, but it’s been a winning formula in the regular season.
Through the first two weeks of 2024, Pittsburgh leads the league in turnover differential at plus-five. In 2023, they finished tied-third at plus-11. The Steelers’ overall philosophy the last 50 years has revolved around a strong running game, great defense, and making key plays late to win games. In a football world that’s evolving with more two-high shells to take away the passing game, Pittsburgh’s foundation of a strong and physical running game might be perfect for the moment.
Still, the question that looms is whether or not it’s enough to win a Super Bowl. This strategy has proven it can turn Pittsburgh into a playoff contender and punch above their weight. But it hasn’t shown it can get them far in the playoffs, one-and-done too many times and without a postseason victory since 2016. That’s where elevated quarterback play steps in.
Though Justin Fields hasn’t been asked to do much yet, there will be a time when the game is in his hands. How he responds could determine how far he goes. The same applies to Russell Wilson if and when he works his way back into the starting lineup.
