In this week’s “3-&-Out” column, we examine the resilience of the 2024 Steelers in the wake of their mistake-prone but gutty 28-27 win in Washington.

Just Win, Baby

That’s a line more closely associated with Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders of the 1970s and 80s. But it’s appropriate here, too, as the Steelers found a way to win on Sunday despite playing one of their sloppier games of the season.

Their mistakes on Sunday came in all three phases of the game. On special teams, they failed to execute a fake punt when gunner James Pierre, who was wide open and would have easily converted a 4th down, dropped a near-perfect throw from up-back Miles Killebrew. Washington took possession at the Pittsburgh 15-yard line and scored three plays later.

On defense, they hurt themselves with penalties. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was whistled three times for various infractions. One occurred on a 1st-and-10 play for Washington from their own 16-yard line. Alex Highsmith dropped quarterback Jayden Daniels for a 10-yard loss, seemingly setting up 2nd-and-20. But Porter was flagged for a facemask. The reprieve moved Washington out of the shadow of their end zone, and they promptly drove the length of the field for a touchdown that gave them a 17-14 lead just before halftime.

The most devastating mistake could have come on offense, where running back Jaylen Warren fumbled at the Washington 1-yard line with 7:05 to play and the Commanders leading 27-21. The turnover ended a 14-play, 86-yard drive that had eaten up over seven minutes of game clock. Pittsburgh ultimately recovered, but you can’t make a living squandering drives like that with the game on the line.

Still, good teams find a way to win, and the Steelers are a good team. How good will be determined over the final eight weeks, as they play six AFC North games plus the 7-2 Eagles and 9-0 Chiefs. They’ll have to play cleaner football than they did on Sunday to win a majority of those contests. But the fact they were able to overcome their mistakes in Washington and make the crucial plays down the stretch is a sign of a resilient team that understands how to win.

Welcome to Pittsburgh!

The biggest news over the bye week came in the form of a trade that landed Pittsburgh 6’4 wide receiver Mike Williams from the Jets (I weighed in with my thoughts on the Williams acquisition in the article below). It was assumed Williams would need some time to learn the playbook and to be fully integrated into the lineup. In the meantime, the hope was Arthur Smith would put Williams’s best attribute — his size and length — to good use by getting him on the field in spots as another jump-ball receiver opposite George Pickens.

The Mike Williams trade diversifies an improving Steelers offense

With 2:22 to play, and the Steelers facing 3rd-and-9 from the Washington 32-yard line, that hope was realized. Williams ran a “9-route,” which in common terms is a simple Go. The corner opposite him aligned with a deep cushion and seemed to be sitting on a shorter route that would break at the sticks. Williams stemmed inside, but rather than hitching up or running an in-cut, he burst past the corner. Wilson, who was being blitzed and had to throw off his back foot, put one of his trademark “moon balls” in a perfect spot over Williams’s outside shoulder. Williams tracked the ball perfectly and cradled it as he fell to the ground in the end zone:

MIKE WILLIAMS! Great job of leaning inside on his stem to sell the in-cut and bursting back outside. Beautiful ball by Russ. Welcome to Pittsburgh! pic.twitter.com/93DOHPta4n

— Kevin Smith (@KTSmithFFSN) November 10, 2024

That score tied the game at 27, and Chris Boswell’s subsequent extra point provided the winning margin. It was Williams’s first and only catch of the day, and it made for a heck of an introduction.

The Williams acquisition should give the Steelers plenty of options on offense once he’s acclimated to their system. The vertical threat he presents may force defenses into more two-high looks, which could open the box and alleviate some of the crowded looks the Steelers’ often get in the run game. If teams want to continue to play their safeties low, it will free Williams and Pickens to operate one-on-one on the outside. Pickens is almost uncoverable in those situations, and even when he is covered, as he was on his touchdown catch in Washington, his athleticism makes him a good bet to come down with the football:

Elite catch by GP but as Charles Davis noted on the telecast, this blitz pickup by Cordarrelle Patterson is tremendous. Nice to have the veteran back in the lineup! pic.twitter.com/1uyxZtKTAD

— Kevin Smith (@KTSmithFFSN) November 10, 2024

Wilson, for his part, now has an astounding 52 touchdown passes since 2016 on deep balls that have an expected completion percentage of 30 or less. That’s by far the most in the NFL over that span. In layman’s terms, this means he’s great at launching the football in a way that gives his receivers a chance to go get it. With Pickens and Williams in the lineup, that number should rise.

The Pittsburgh offense has averaged nearly 31 points per game on their current four-game winning streak, which is their best four-game stretch since 2015. They play four straight division games starting next week, and Cleveland (#20), Baltimore (#25) and Cincinnati (#26) are all near the bottom in the league in points allowed. If the Steelers can score close to their current clip, chances are their defense, which gives up the second-fewest points per game at 16.2, will hold its own. Sweeping all four games will be tough, but the Steelers are in position to put some daylight between themselves and the rest of the division.

Rookie of the year, but still a rookie

Despite yielding 27 points, the Steelers got several strong contributions from their defense. In particular, they corralled the dangerous Daniels and held him to his worst performance as a pro. Daniels entered the game with a passer rating of 104.5 and a completion percentage of over 70. But Pittsburgh held him to just 17-34 passing (50.0%) and a rating of 68.5.

They did it largely by bringing pressure and compelling the rookie to make quick decisions. The Steelers sent at least five men on over 50% of Daniels’ drop-backs. This resulted in three sacks, numerous hurries and plenty of snaps where the ball was forced out of Daniels’ hand quickly. They came at him from a variety of angles and with an array of twists and loops. On the stunt below, the Steelers brought five rushers while linebacker Payton Wilson blitz-checked the back. This freed up Cam Heyward to go one-on-one with left guard Nick Allegretti, and Heyward abused him. He bull-rushed Allegretti with one arm, driving him into Daniels’ lap, then grabbed Daniels with the other arm and wrestled him to the ground.

Cam bull-rushed the guard into Daniels’ lap with one arm. Sheesh… pic.twitter.com/BikpOOXGl9

— Kevin Smith (@KTSmithFFSN) November 10, 2024

The Steelers also did a great job of maintaining the integrity of their rush lanes and not allowing Daniels to escape the pocket, where he is dangerous with his legs. Daniels came into the game averaging 51 rushing yards per contest. The Steelers held him to five. Daniels nearly got loose for a big gain on a scramble near midfield on Washington’s final drive of the game, but defensive tackle Keeanu Benton made a lunging tackle that limited him to one yard. That play was huge, because had Daniels broken free he likely would have run the ball into field goal range. Benton’s play exemplified the attention to detail the Steelers paid on keeping Daniels bottled up. It was a great game plan by defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, and the Steelers executed it seamlessly.

And Out…

The Steelers (7-2) now head home for a showdown with the second-place Ravens (7-3) in a game that will determine the leader in the AFC North. Pittsburgh is 7-1 in the last eight meetings between the two, and has held Baltimore to an average of 14.8 points per game in those contests. All eight games have been decided by seven points or less, however, so expect a tight contest no matter what.

Pittsburgh’s defensive game-plan against Daniels could also be effective against Lamar Jackson, who has beaten the Steelers as a starter just once in his career. That was back in 2019, in a game where his counterpart at quarterback was a Mason Rudolph/Duck Hodges combo. Jackson is in the MVP conversation yet again this season, but his lack of success against the Steelers has been a nagging flaw in his resume. Hopefully, Pittsburgh finds a way to frustrate him again on Sunday.