While Colin Cowherd is often critical of the Steelers, he’s changed his tune over the last few weeks as Pittsburgh is 7-2 and looks like one of the best teams in the AFC. Now, Cowherd is a believer in the Steelers, and he said on The Herd today that he believes they are here to stay.
“This is not a mirage,” Cowherd said. “I don’t think they’re a Super Bowl team, but I think there’s too many data points that show you they’re really, really good and will last. They run it, their defense, their pass rush. They don’t make mistakes.”
While the Steelers got off to a 4-2 start with Justin Fields at quarterback, the offense has reached another level with Russell Wilson under center. His deep ball has elevated Pittsburgh’s passing attack with George Pickens taking off over the last three games, and its defense has made plays when it needs to. While Pittsburgh allowed 27 points to the Washington Commanders in Week 10, the defense came up clutch late in the second half, making big stops and allowing the offense the opportunity to come back, which it did with Wilson hitting recent acquisition Mike Williams for a game-winning touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter.
Cowherd made the point that the Steelers have beaten good teams this season, specifically mentioning their Week 3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Their win over the Commanders was also a big one as Washington has looked like one of the best teams in football. While they put up a fight against Pittsburgh, the Steelers were able to turn a 10-point deficit into a win. That showed a lot of mettle and was a distinct change from Steelers teams of the last few years that struggled to score.
There’s a different feeling around this team, and a big part of it is the way the offense has looked over the last three games. No longer do the Steelers have to rely on their defense to keep them in low-scoring games, and while the defense is still elite, this is a team that’s been playing really good football in all three facets of the game.
Cowherd is right that at this point, you can’t call the Steelers a mirage. They’re a good football team, and they’ll have a chance to show how good they are in Week 11 when they take on the visiting Baltimore Ravens.
