The Pittsburgh Steelers have been carried by their defense for the past few seasons. The offense has lagged behind and consistently been one of the worst units in football, but the strength of Pittsburgh’s defense kept them competitive. All of a sudden, the offense has figured things out, with Russell Wilson igniting the unit over the last three games. Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel can’t wrap his head around the idea that the Steelers actually have a good offense.
“The Steelers have an offense? Are you serious right now? Is this for real?”
Daniel expanded his thoughts on Wilson, who he said has turned the Steelers into “legit contenders.”
“Russ has not made the Steelers elite. Elite for me is reserved for the Chiefs and the Lions. But he has made them into legit contenders. And watching him play this game, it has been complete night and day difference from Justin Fields as the leader of that offense to now Russell Wilson. Because he’s opened up that pass game. You go on the road in a crazy environment against a really good Dan Quinn Commanders defense who has been winning at a high rate the entire year and you win the game with your arm,” he said on FS1’s The Facility.
It took wholesale changes this offseason, with the quarterback room completely turned over and Arthur Smith brought in as offensive coordinator, for the offense to actually be good. But coming off four straight wins with solid offensive performances, it’s time to finally have some confidence in the Steelers on the offensive side of the ball.
The offense showed some flashes with Justin Fields under center through the first six games, but Wilson has made the unit consistently good since he took over. Even in a game yesterday where his stat line wasn’t the greatest, only completing 50% of his passes, he led a game-winning drive and made a beautiful throw to WR Mike Williams for what ended up being the game-winning touchdown. That was one of three touchdown passes for Wilson on the day, and it had been a long time since we saw a Steelers quarterback toss three touchdown passes.
Twenty-eight points is nothing to sneeze at, especially with Pittsburgh’s defense, and the fact that the Steelers put up 28 in a game where there were periods when they struggled is really impressive.
Pittsburgh’s defense is still an impressive unit and one of the best in the league. But now, the offense is finally catching up, and with Wilson turning the offense into a consistently good unit, the Steelers can be considered contenders. At 7-2, it would be a major surprise if they didn’t make the playoffs, and the win over the Commanders, who have been one of the best teams in football this season, was impressive. Pittsburgh’s biggest test yet still awaits with the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11, and that’ll also mark Pittsburgh’s first divisional matchup of the season. It will be a good litmus test for just how good this team might be.
Either way, there’s no doubting Wilson or the Steelers offense given what we’ve seen over the last three games. Pittsburgh could make some noise if this level of play continues the rest of the way.
