The Pittsburgh Steelers won decisively over the Las Vegas Raiders during Week 6. The Steelers are now 4-2 on the season and have managed to get there with a backup quarterback, Justin Fields. While many wondered if Head Coach Mike Tomlin would start him or pull him because Russell Wilson is healthy, Fields' legs were one of the catalysts for the win. While this might be Tomlin's plan, according to one analyst, sustainability concerns exist.
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Steelers' Justin Fields runs against the Raiders.
If the Steelers have a 2024 game plan, it is the old mantra, "Defense wins championships." While many might feel that is a dated concept in this high-powered, pass-heavy NFL, it is what Tomlin believes; he has built the most expensive unit in the league to prove it.
According to Ray Fittipaldo from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, this is Tomlin's system for winning. He joined fellow reporter Christopher Carter on the Locked on Steelers podcast and said Tomlin wants his defense to attack, creating turnovers and causing three-and-outs. Then he envisions turning the ball over to his conservative, run-heavy offense under Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith. This plan has led to some slow starts and has given Fittipaldo long-term concerns.
"Another slow start for the defense, an extended slow start for the offense, but really, Mike Tomlin's formula won out in the end," acknowledged Fittipaldo. "He counts on this defense to step up. Those guys stepped up with three turnovers. So complementary football all around. T.J. [Watt] and the defense started it, special teams contributed with a blocked punt, and then finally, the offense took advantage of those short fields and put some points on the board."
T.J. Watt had a game worthy of a Defensive Player of the Year with multiple turnovers. Fittipaldo pointed out that one of his turnovers led to the Steelers' first touchdown, and the second prevented the Raiders from mounting a comeback. The Steelers had three turnovers in Week 5 during a loss to the Dallas Cowboys and couldn't score off of them.
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Steelers' TJ Watt forces a fumble against the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024.
Fittipaldo said this was progress in the right direction. He believes that Tomlin will continue to start Fields. He also thinks they must spark life into their passing game if they want Tomlin's plan to continue working during the hardest part of the season.
"I think if the Steelers want to be true playoff contenders come January, they got to get better in the passing game. It's just not working right now with Justin Fields. We're going to be in Week 7, and he's going to be the starter again(maybe), but it seems they have a very clean-cut formula on how they're gonna win, and I don't know if they could deviate from that if they have to when the schedule gets much harder."
After their bye week during Week 9, they play all of their divisional games, plus the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Commanders. Before the start of the 2024 season, everyone acknowledged they had to have a strong start and develop a system that works before Week 10.
Steelers' Offense Had Legs In Week 6
While the Steelers might not have been able to get much going in the air against the Raiders, they did improve on the ground. Running back Najee Harris had his best game of the season, with 14 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown. Fields was second to Harris with 11 runs for 59 yards and two touchdowns.
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Steelers' Najee Harris had several big runs against the Raiders during Week 6.
Harris has received much criticism this season regarding his inability to gain yards, but he silenced his critics in this game, averaging 7.6 yards per carry. The Steelers are still missing the one-two punch that having a healthy Jaylen Warren provides, but the offense seemed to be more of what Tomlin has said he envisioned.
Do you think that the Steelers will be able to adjust their offense to win against teams in the second half of the season? Click to comment below.
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