The Pittsburgh Steelers are now 2-0 and sit at the top of the AFC North after their Week 2 victory over the Denver Broncos. Both wins over the Atlanta Falcons and the Broncos can be categorized as ugly wins, but wins are wins. Pittsburgh's offense hasn't been lighting up scoreboards, but they're doing an excellent job of taking care of the football. So far, the Steelers' defense has been the dominant unit that they were expected to be, only allowing 16 points through the first two games. The offense will need to produce more points for this team to compete with the best, but 2-0 is a great start.
Sebastian Foltz / Post-Gazette
Quarterback Justin Fields stretches during the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2024 Organized Team Activities.
While Russell Wilson has been dealing with a lingering calf injury, Justin Fields has taken over as the Steelers' starting quarterback. He hasn't been incredible, but he's shown flashes of his extreme athleticism and playmaking ability while taking good care of the football. Turnover problems have been one of the biggest concerns with Fields through the first few years of his NFL career, but so far, he's been very clean in Pittsburgh. Fields and the Steelers' offense has only scored one touchdown through two weeks of regular season play, but they've gotten within kicker Chris Boswell's field goal range enough to finish drives with points.
One of the biggest questions about the Steelers right now is what do they do when Wilson is healthy? Wilson was originally named the Week 1 starting quarterback and has seemingly been the guy for a while now as Head Coach Mike Tomlin had continuously said that Wilson was in "pole-position" to lead Pittsburgh. With Fields winning games, it would be hard to bench him for a new face at quarterback that's been dealing with a calf injury since the start of training camp.
Insider Adam Schefter joined The Pat McAfee Show and gave his thoughts on Pittsburgh's quarterback situation.
"You're not gonna take the guy out of the lineup when you're winning football games. I don't care that he's not lighting it up with the numbers, they're 2-0. They're winning the way they should be winning. They're running the football, they're playing unbelievable defense."
The way this Steelers offense is built, the expectation shouldn't be overwhelming statistics and high scoring games. Behind George Pickens, Pittsburgh has a very weak receiving core and Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith likes to run the football, using tight end heavy sets. Fields is running the Pittsburgh offense well and it's working.
USA Today
The Steelers' new offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith, faced his old team and won in Week 1.
The Steelers Don't Need Eye Popping Offensive Production
The Steelers' special teams and defensive units are good enough to allow Smith and the team's offense to run the football and settle for field goals as long as they're limiting turnovers and three and outs. A well-rested Pittsburgh defense is scary. When the Steelers put together a long drive with a heavy dose of run plays, the defense gets a chance to catch their breath and be a dominant unit. Boswell and the Steelers' defense give Smith's offense a ton of breathing room that most teams don't have.
Last season, the team's offense was abysmal and the team still made the playoffs. Pittsburgh doesn't need a high powered passing attack to be competitive, they just need to be efficient and continue to limit turnovers. As the season goes on and rookie offensive linemen Zach Frazier and Troy Fautanu get more comfortable playing in the NFL, the run game should continue to improve and with that, so will the play-action passing game.
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Troy Fautanu (left) works on blocking drills during Organized Team Activities (OTAs).
Regardless of who the Steelers decide to move forward with this season, the offense should be expected to improve, but not drastically. Pittsburgh will more than likely continue to play teams close with explosive defensive play and ugly offensive output. The team has their first home game in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers. That game will say a lot about who the Steelers move forward with at quarterback. If Fields plays and the Steelers win, how do you bench a 3-0 quarterback?
Do you think the Steelers will keep starting Fields at quarterback? Let us know in the comments below!
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