Welcome to your weekly Pittsburgh Steelers “stat pack,” five numbers you need to know to get ready for the upcoming game. They could relate to the opponent or the Steelers themselves, and could involve an individual, unit, or something else. All to help you become the smartest fan for gameday.
104.3, 81.5
That’s Russell Wilson’s QB rating in Week 1 games since being drafted in 2012. Over that span, it’s fifth-best in the NFL only trailing Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Peyton Manning, and, improbably, Alex Smith. In 12 openers, Wilson has thrown for 22 touchdowns to only 5 interceptions. In fact, his last opening-week interception came in 2018, meaning he’s been spotless the past five seasons.
Comparatively, the 81.5 rating is Justin Fields’ mark in Week 1’s. A smaller sample size, two starts and an appearance his rookie season, but a drastically worse number.
646, 4,633
The first number is how many days it’s been since CB Cory Trice Jr. suited up for a game that counted. That was his final college game in December 2022 against Michigan. After losing his rookie year to a torn ACL, Trice stayed healthy all summer and made the 53-man roster. He’s expected to suit up for the Falcons game.
The second, much larger number? That’s the number of days Raheem Morris has been waiting to be a full-time head coach on gameday. He was last in that role in January 2012 before being fired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While he did serve in an interim role in 2020, it’s been a long time coming for him to be the unquestioned guy on a Sunday.
2016
The last time Pittsburgh posted at least 30 points in a regular-season opener, scoring 38 in a blowout win over the Washington Redskins in 2016. It’s a lofty goal for the Steelers this weekend and not a requirement to win but it would be one heck of a start in the Arthur Smith/Russell Wilson era.
One
The number of wins Mike Tomlin needs to break a tie with Jeff Fisher for most by a head coach in regular-season history. Tomlin’s next win will give him sole possession of 11th place. It’ll take some doing to reach the top 10 this season and tie Chuck Knox’s 186. Tomlin will have to win 13 games this season to match Knox.
11
The number of Week 1 sacks T.J. Watt has in his career, easily the most in football since he entered the league in 2017. He’s the only player in double-digits. That included a three-sack performance last year against San Francisco, a lone bright spot in an otherwise ugly loss. A reminder he needs only 3.5 to break 100 for his career.
