If you had told me before the NFL season began that the Steelers would be 6-2 heading into their bye week—especially with the injuries all along the offensive line—I would have taken that, no questions asked. Remember that, coming into the season, Russell Wilson was expected to be the starting quarterback in week 1 until approximately three days before the game, so the Steelers did not even have their “QB1” for the first six weeks. Granted, Fields played well enough that there were large swathes of Steeler Nation that were incensed when he was benched for Russell Wilson, but no one was to know that leading up to the first game of the season against the Atlanta Falcons. 

Let me be clear—it has not been pretty. The 6-2 record is great. However, it does not tell the entire story. The Steelers are 0-2 when the defense gives up 20 or more points. In their six games with Justin Fields at the helm, they only eclipsed the 20-point mark twice, scoring 32 against the Raiders in a win and 24 against the Colts in a loss (they scored exactly 20 in a triumph over the Chargers in week 3 as well). 

Nevertheless, the Steelers were 4-2 with Fields and had beaten the Raiders 32-13 in his last start, but Mike Tomlin opted to change quarterbacks after that victory. Understandably, the media and some fans were upset, as I detailed in last week’s entry.  Russ made the doubters eat crow with his performance against a Jets team with a strong defense, throwing for 264 yards and 2 touchdowns while accounting for another score on a quarterback sneak in his debut in the black-and-gold. 

How would he fare against the New York Giants, another team a very talented defensive unit? Well, ask Mike Tomlin. 

It was not a great game to watch, especially if you were rooting for the Giants. It certainly appeared as though there was strong favoritism from the referees towards the Steelers. 

Let us look at the first touchdown of the game, which, of course, was not scored until there were fewer than five minutes remaining in the third quarter. Giants punter Matt Haack unleashed a 54-yard punt and his plant leg was contacted by Steelers’ outside linebacker and special-teams player Jeremiah Moon. On the return by Calvin Austin III, which he would take 73 yards to the end zone, there were some…questionable…blocks by the Steelers’ special teams unit. 

To the referees’ credit, there was a flag thrown. But, it was against the Giants for illegal formation. The touchdown stood, even though there were multiple infractions committed on the play that could have easily negated what gave the Steelers a 16-9 lead. 

I want to go back to the first half of the game for a minute. Between the twenties, the Steelers moved the ball with ease. They accumulated 221 yards of total offense in the opening half-hour of football, a very respectable number for only having four drives (not including a kneel down to end the half). They got inside the red zone on each of their first three drives (and inside the Giants’ ten-yard line on the latter two). Unfortunately, they only walked away with three Chris Boswell field goals. Whether it was a Broderick Jones facemask penalty negating a George Pickens touchdown, poor play calling, or the fact that getting one foot down in-bounds twice is not the same as getting two feet down in-bounds once, the offense was horribly inefficient inside Big Blue’s 20. 

The same could be said about the Giants’ offense, although a lot less was expected of them. They also kicked three field goals on the opening half, with the Steelers’ $138 million defense failing to make key plays between the twenties but stepping up in the shadow of their goalposts. Would a better offense have taken advantage? Absolutely. But, you only play against the team in front of you, so holding them to field goals was necessary. 

Wilson came out of the locker room after halftime on the attack…well, after a three-and-out and the punt-return touchdown. On the last play of the third quarter, faced with a third & 11, Russ hit Van Jefferson on the right sideline for 36 yards, narrowly threading the ball around the body of the Giants’ defensive back. Later in the drive, a 29-yard teardrop pass landed perfectly in Calvin Austin’s hands in the end zone, falling out of the night sky and into 19’s waiting arms to extend the lead to 23-9. 

After the Giants cut the lead to 23-15, a 43 yard dart across Wilson’s body hit George Pickens in stride near the left sideline, setting up a field goal to make the score 26-15. The game would end 26-18 as two Daniel Jones turnovers—including another Beanie Bishop interception—negated Russell Wilson’s potentially-crucial fumble. Wilson ended 20/28 for 278 yards and one passing touchdown, with 3 carries for 7 yards and the recently-mentioned fumble—another good performance to piggyback off of his debut. 

Where are the Steelers right now, aside from in sole possession of first place in the AFC North? This is a team that has run the ball extremely effectively in recent weeks, especially with Najee Harris. His last three games have had the following stat-lines:

• 14 carries for 106 yards and one touchdown
• 21 carries for 102 yards and one touchdown
• 19 carries for 114 yards

It is not simply the running game. Five of the six Steelers’ wins have come against teams that are currently ranked in the top-10 in passing yards allowed per game (Jets, Broncos, Giants, Raiders, Chargers). 

This is also a team that absolutely suffocates its opponents in the second halves of games, closing out the last three contests with a second-half scoring margin of 61-15. 

At the bye week, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in a position to contend. Their last nine games are very tough, with all six of their division games remaining, plus contests against the Eagles, Chiefs, and Commanders. This is the perfect time for the front office to make additions, as the NFL’s trade deadline is one week away. 

Other contenders in the AFC have added wide receivers in recent weeks. The Baltimore Ravens traded for former Steeler Diontae Johnson today (this is not something that concerns me, but it does show market activity). The Buffalo Bills traded for former Brown Amari Cooper a couple weeks ago. Most of the wide receiver targets that were likely to be moved at the deadline have either been traded (Davante Adams, Amari Cooper), taken off the market (Cooper Kupp), or injured (Christian Kirk). 

There are still some players that can improve this WR room. I understand that Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III both had good games yesterday. However, you cannot expect to compete for a Super Bowl (or even win a playoff game, for that matter) when they are your second and third options. General manager Omar Khan has to make a trade for a pass-catcher, and, quite frankly, he has to make one very soon. Many competitors have suffered injuries to their receiving corps and will be scouring the trade block in the hopes of adding an impact guy. Why not get out in front of the Texans, Buccaneers, and 49ers by trading for someone today? They would have the entire bye week to learn the playbook!

Make a trade, Omar. Make two, if necessary. You simply cannot stand pat if you want to get your hands on that seventh Lombardi trophy. In the meantime, I am going to enjoy another Sunday without stressing over a Steelers’ game.