All things considered the Pittsburgh Steelers are in great shape. They’re dealing with injuries left and right, as they have been throughout the year. They’ve struggled at various points this season in terms of both running and passing the ball. One of their toughest tests came in Week 7, after the Steelers switched their quarterbacks despite a solid 4-2 start with Justin Fields leading the offense. Fortunately, Russell Wilson had a good debut, leading the Steelers to a dominant 37-15 win over the New York Jets.
Now, they’re 5-2, and tied for first in the AFC North. With a favorable matchup looming this Monday night against the New York Giants, there’s a very real chance the Steelers end up winning six of their first eight games.
“So I think the confidence is there for us,” Wilson said Friday on The Rich Eisen Show. “We just gotta keep building. We gotta keep working. There’s a lot more to do. We haven’t done anything yet. That’s the reality. We gotta get better. We gotta have a great game this week against a really good pass rush.”
Wilson is right that the Giants have an excellent pass rush. While New York has struggled this year, evidenced by its 2-5 record, one thing it excels at is getting after the quarterback. With 31 sacks on the year, the Giants have taken down the quarterback more than any other NFL team this season. They’re led by Dexter Lawrence, who’s a league-leader of his own with nine sacks to his name.
The Steelers’ offensive line has rallied throughout the year, but many have given Fields credit, claiming his mobility has saved the team from some sacks. Those questions were put to bed slightly last Sunday with Wilson only being sacked once. Still, things will be very difficult against this talented Giants pass rush.
In terms of their overall goals for the season, the Steelers still have some work to do as well. Pittsburgh’s had a nice start to the season, but things don’t get any easier as the year goes on. The Steelers have a tough slate to end the season, including all of their divisional matchups. When it comes to the playoffs, well, we know how hard it is for Pittsburgh to win there.
For now, things are nice, and the team seems to be trending upward. The Steelers can absolutely keep that going, but as Russell Wilson acknowledges, they’ve got some work to do.
