Steelers Insider Drops Bold Contender Take After Saints Win

The Pittsburgh Steelers' 16-10 victory Sunday in Paris, France has them at 5-2 through seven weeks of the NFL season while also on a three-game winning streak. They head home for Week 8 with a divisional clash with the Cleveland Browns looming. With last Sunday being a New Orleans Saints home game, it is the second straight road win for Head Coach Mike McCarthy following a winless start on the road. Despite the win, NFL broadcaster Kurt Warner still sees some explosiveness missing with the team. He did mention that if they can show more explosiveness on offense, they will be a legitimate contender.

The one situation to keep in perspective with Warner's comments is that the team is heavily relying on wide receivers DK Metcalf and rookie Germie Bernard on offense. Once Roman Wilson and Michael Pittman Jr. get healthy, the offense becomes more of a threat with quarterback Aaron Rodgers having other wide receivers to look to. Despite their absence, they have now scored 76 points on offense in their last three games.

On Monday, team insider Jim Wexell hosted an episode of his Steel City Insider podcast. While recapping the game, he did mention Warner's comments about McCarthy's group. While discussing them, he also mentioned that this team gives him a certain type of vibe through seven games.

“Kurt Warner was saying at the end where this team needs to show more explosiveness on offense to be a legit contender,” Wexell said. “I’m really getting contender vibes and agree totally with what he said.”

One unit on the team that definitely has the contender vibes Wexell referred to is the defense under new coordinator Patrick Graham. The unit is now sixth in the NFL in total defense, allowing an average of 303.7 yards per game. The other impressive number Graham's group owns is their current position in scoring defense in the league. They are fifth in the league, allowing just 19.7 per game under his leadership so far in his first year with the organization. That type of defensive performance is the kind that can do a big part in carrying a team deep into the postseason.

In Sunday's game, Rodgers had just 212 yards passing with one touchdown. While it was enough to earn them the win against the Saints, the explosiveness that Wexell and Warner mentioned is still lacking. Rodgers did connect with Metcalf on a 51-yard reception that set the Steelers up in the red zone during the game, but there was not much explosiveness outside of that lone reception from their offense in the game. They were able to show more explosiveness a couple weeks ago against the Indianapolis Colts, but they struggle to find it consistently on Sundays.

Steelers Have A Path To Truly Giving Off Contender Vibes

The 76 total points scored by the offense under McCarthy in the last three weeks has been a welcome sight. However, in Week 6, they were not able to get going until late into the game. Fortunately for them, they were playing the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so it was enough for them to come out on top. However, Sunday's performance against the Saints was another similar showing and they were not able to really pounce on New Orleans throughout the game. This may be due to the injuries stacking up at wide receiver, but it is also preventing them from being considered a true contender.

Rodgers has been playing very well despite being without Wilson and Pittman. Graham's defense also has them playing like a top-10 defense, as they are in that group in several different defensive categories. However, they have to do a better job of getting the offense in rhythm despite being without two of their veteran wide receivers. That could start by involving running back Jaylen Warren and tight end Pat Freiermuth more in the passing game. With how their defense is playing, they will truly give off the contender vibes Wexell mentioned if their offense can make some adjustments with injuries.

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