To win the game, you first must not lose it. That’s the old football adage. Meaning, don’t do things that beat yourself before you worry about how to beat your opponent. Most bad teams in football can’t get that part down. They commit penalties. They make mental errors. And virtually all of them turn the football over. Unless you’re Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, the exception to prove every rule out there, interceptions are a quick way to lose.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have avoided interceptions this year at a historically impressive rate. Through eight games, they’ve tossed just one pick, a wacky play against the Los Angeles Chargers batted around in the air before ex-Steeler Bud Dupree got his hand on it. That was the only one Justin Fields threw in six starts and two games into his Steelers’ career, and Russell Wilson hasn’t thrown one either.
That’s a Steelers’ first. Never before have they gone the first eight games of a season and thrown just one pick. Their previous best came in 2000 when they tossed a pair over that span. Here are their previous high marks.
Fewest Steelers INTs Through Eight Games, Franchise History
1. 2024 – One
2. 2000 – Two
3. 2014 – Three
4. Five Times – Four (1992, 2001, 2012, 2020, 2021)
Football’s evolution does have something to do with that. Just in the way completion percentages are higher with each new era, interception rates have declined. The game is crisper and more horizontal, reducing the chances of being picked. Still, Pittsburgh’s feat is remarkable. And crucially, they’re not playing uber-conservative to do it, especially under Wilson. In previous years, a scared-of-their-shadow offense did everything possible to avoid picks. But the cost was missing out on any chance for a big play downfield, creating a passing game that put up laughable numbers. That’s been much less the case in 2024, with Pittsburgh getting big passing plays while still taking care of the football.
Panning out historically, the Steelers’ lone interception is just as remarkable. Since 1992, Pittsburgh has been one of just 15 teams on this kind of run. Even in this modern era, the feat is rare. Last year, only the Houston Texans did so through eight games. This year, two other teams, the Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo Bills, join the Steelers in the one-interception club.
Eras matter, and it feels like the NFL is in an interception drought, but it’s worth pointing out two teams have had zero through the first eight games: the 2008 Washington Redskins and the 1960 Cleveland Browns. Browns QB Milt Plum nearly had a perfect season, not throwing an interception in his first nine starts before his first pick came in Week 11. Then he threw four in the regular season finale. Football, man.
This probably qualifies in more “stat of the weird” territory than a dedicated article. But anytime the Steelers have done something they’ve literally never done before and something key to their success, it’s worth spending some time writing about. Eventually, Pittsburgh will feel some of that regression to the mean and throw a couple of picks. But they’re finding the right balance between protecting the ball and pushing it downfield, putting them in first place at the bye.
