The Pittsburgh Steelers were back on the field Sunday for the seventh time of the 2024 regular season when they hosted the New York Jets in Week 7 of regular season action. The Steelers were winners in the contest, but that doesn’t mean every player had a good or bad performance.

Players who play well can be considered ‘Winners’, while those who left a lot to be desired can be called ‘Losers’. It may sound harsh, but it is the crux of this exercise.

Let’s check in to see who fell on which side of the ledger after the latest game…

Winners

Beanie Bishop
Stat Line: 6 tackles, 5 solo, 1 TFL, 2 PDs, 2 INTs

Where else to start with this winners list than Beanie Bishop? The undrafted rookie free agent didn’t just play well, but made game-changing plays. When you look back at the totality of the game, Bishops’ two interceptions are what started to turn the tide in the Steelers favor. The first INT was a thing of beauty, with the second being more of being in the right spot at the right time. It doesn’t matter how, but that both plays were made. It’s great to see these young players playing well.

Takeaways
Stat Line: 2 INTs, 1 turnover on downs, 1 blocked FG

If you look at the stat line, it will show two takeaways, but I like to say there were four. I always include things like turning the ball over on downs, and especially a blocked field goal. The Steelers were making all sorts of plays on Sunday night, and it all equated in points. More on that coming, but the team’s knack for getting their hands on the ball is starting to become a constant and not just a trend.

P.O.T
Stat Line: 14 points off of the INTs, 7 points off the blocked FG, and 7 points after turnover on downs

Just look at that stat line. That is exactly what you want to see from the Steelers when it comes to how they handle takeaways on the offensive side of the ball. Turn the takeaways into points. In this regard I’m not picky, points are points, but when you can take all four aforementioned takeaways and turn them into touchdowns? You’re doing something right.

Russell Wilson
Stat Line: 16/29, 264 yards, 9.1 ave., 2 TDs, 0 INT, 1 sack-4 yards, 109.0 rating, 1 rushing TD

There were plenty of people who were not on the Russell Wilson bandwagon heading into the game in Week 7. In fact, even some who were on the bandwagon might have been asking for the nearest exit in the first half of the game. But Wilson settled into the game, and Arthur Smith settled into having a different quarterback at the helm and was able dial up big plays in both the passing game and running game. Wilson did more than an adequate job, and he deserves the praise after this prime time win.

George Pickens
Stat Line: 5 catches, 111 yards, 22.2 ave., 1 TD, 44 long, 9 targets

George Pickens is your typical wide receiver. In other words, he loves playing with anyone who will throw him the ball, and Wilson did that frequently. What might have been most impressive about Pickens game, which hasn’t been talked about much after the game, was who he was doing the damage against. Pickens was going up against Sauce Gardner, one of the league’s premiere cornerbacks, for the majority of the game. It was good-on-good, and Pickens’ stat line speaks for itself.

Najee Harris
Stat Line: 21 carries, 102 yards, 4.9 ave., 1 TD, 34 yard long

I don’t know what has gotten into Najee Harris the last two weeks, but he looks like a completely different running back the last two weeks. Harris didn’t pop off the screen until the second half, but once there is when he was almost unstoppable. Harris has shown the ability to grind opposing defenses to a stump in the second half, and if he can continue on this trend he might have earned himself a second contract with the Steelers next year.

Offensive Line
Stat Line: Remained in tact, dominated in 2nd half

I’ll state this right away, but I’m a big fan of some of the Steelers young linemen, especially Mason McCormick. McCormick shows the emotion players like Frazier doesn’t, and it’s just great to see another No. 66 pushing defenders around play after play. Just watch this reaction by McCormick after the 4th and short conversion in the 4th quarter…

Me to other NFL fans after the #Steelers win… pic.twitter.com/cVv12WZS4e

— Jeff Hartman (@JHartman_PIT) October 21, 2024

Also, a big shout out to Ryan McCollum who stepped in and performed well at center outside of one holding call. This group of linemen are starting to gel, even if the people who are being tasked with gelling aren’t necessarily who we thought they’d be when training camp and the preseason wrapped up.

Offensive Finish
Stat Line: Scored on their last 5 drives

I honestly never thought I’d see the day where a Steelers offense scored on their final five drives of a game again. I’m also not going to lie and tell you I know when the last time the Steelers achieved this feat, but I’m sure it has been a while. The Steelers won in a tale of two halves, and the second half was a thing of beauty for both the offense and defense in Week 7.

Red-Zone Offense
Stat Line: 4-for-6

The Steelers red-zone offense was stellar, scoring on four of their six trips into the red area. The conversion rate was impressive, but so was the fact they had six attempts. The Steelers offense dominated time of possession, and most of those drives ended in a red-zone trip. It’s in those instances where you need a good red-zone offense, and Russell Wilson proved he still has that aspect of his game.

3rd Down Defense
Stat Line: NYJ – 3-for-10

The Steelers 3rd down defense had struggled at times this season, and in the first half it looked like it was more of the same with Aaron Rodgers converting on several 3rd down attempts. But in the second half the defense put the clamps on the Jets offense on 3rd downs, and it helped hold them to 30% on the night, a far cry from the 41% the Jets were averaging heading into Week 7.

Losers 

NFL Officiating
Stat Line: What the hell was that?!

I honestly get sick of typing this stuff every week, but these officials make it mandatory for me to continually add how poor the officiating has been. The Larry Ogunjobi penalty set an odd precedence for the rest of the game, and it equated in a bunch of early whistles on plays which typically aren’t blown dead quickly. On top of that, there are times when spotting the ball seems like it is painful. I’ll just put this here, which I said on social media during the 4th quarter last night.

This is 2024.

Play is done.

No one knows where the ball is spotted.

Head ump takes the ball.

Player who had the ball still on the ground.

They all stand up, and then they just put the ball down somewhere.

Billion dollar organization, and we still use sticks and chains.

— Jeff Hartman (@JHartman_PIT) October 21, 2024

And don’t get me started on the penalty on Minkah Fitzpatrick on the blocked point-after attempt.

Tackling
Stat Line: Too many

Missed tackles isn’t an official stat, but you do have to wonder how large that number would have been for the Steelers if you could easily pull those numbers. The team’s first half performance on defense, as it pertains to tackling, was not great. It did improve in the second half, but was tough sledding in the first half.

3rd Down Offense
Stat Line: 5-for-14

While the Steelers red-zone offense was stellar, the 3rd down offense struggled once again. Russell Wilson didn’t get a ton of help early in the game, mainly the drop by Calvin Austin III, but this has to be a focus of improvement moving forward. If the Steelers offense wants to be a formidable unit, this is one area which has to be better.

If you want a more detailed look at the above list, check out my “Let’s Ride” podcast in the player below where I outline each Winner and Loser, and MORE!