The Pittsburgh Steelers were back on the field Sunday for the fifth time of the 2024 regular season when they traveled to play the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6 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

T.J. Watt
Stat Line: 5 tackles, 5 solo, 2 TFL, 2 Forced Fumbles

I have to be honest, I’ve watched every game of T.J. Watt’s career since being drafted in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, but I’ve never seen a game like this. Sure, I’ve seen a game where he overtakes the entire game. Sure, I’ve seen him have multi-sack games. Sure, I’ve seen him get his hands on the ball with interceptions. But I’ve never seen him have two forced fumbles, and a no sack game. It was a thing of beauty, and Watt continues to show he can impact the game in a multitude of ways. He’s a superstar for a reason.

Najee Harris
Stat Line: 14 carries, 106 yards, 7.6 ave., 1 TD, 36 long / 2 catches, 16 yards, 11 yard long, 2 targets

Najee Harris gets a lot of crap on social media. He suffers from what I call the “Terrell Edmunds Syndrome”. What’s that? When a player was drafted, by no fault of his own, in the first round and immediately has those expectations lumped upon him at the same time. Harris hasn’t had many games where fans can look and say, “THAT is why he was a 1st Round pick!” but this was one of those games. He’s never sniffed 7.6 yards per carry, and for him to have over 100 yards in only 14 carries was pretty impressive. I now look forward to him doing it again!

DeShon Elliott
Stat Line: 6 tackles, 5 solo, 1 FR

I still remember when Elliott was signed by the Steelers. I have to be honest, I had no idea who the guy was when he was signed, but I watched his press conference and he was asked a basic question.

“Why did you choose the Steelers?”

He didn’t say Mike Tomlin, or the current defense. He turned and pointed at the logo behind him on the wall. I thought it then, and it makes all the sense in the world now, “He gets it.” Elliott has stepped up and hit the ground running. His stat line might not flash, but the way he plays does. He’s been tremendous this entire season, and was again on Sunday.

Patrick Queen
Stat Line: 13 tackles, 6 solo, 1 TFL

Queen might not get the amount of hate Najee Harris does, but plenty of fans were wondering when they were going to see the Patrick Queen which made him a highly paid free agent acquisition this offseason. He got off to a slow start, but if you pay attention you have started to see him pop on the screen more and more. This was by far Queen’s best game as a member of the Steelers, and is something hopefully he can build upon and see his arrow continue to point upward.

Cam Heyward
Stat Line: 4 tackles, 3 solo, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 2 QB Hits

This was a vintage Cam Heyward game. Even at his age, Heyward was dominant at the point of attack in the run game, and started to really put the heat on in the pass rushing category in the second half. He had the Steelers lone sack at a critical juncture, and Cam continues to prove he is not just capable, but worthy of the Steelers investment in him before the season started. Captain Cam did it again in Week 6.

Takeaways
Stat Line: 2 FF, 1 INT, 1 Blocked Punt

The Steelers defense continued to show they have a knack for taking the ball away in Week 6 with three official takeaways. Combine those with the Dallas Cowboys game in Week 5, and the Steelers have 6 takeaways and a +5 turnover differential in those two games. The Steelers need to give the offense extra possessions, and when you can get red-zone takeaways, for the second week in a row, it can change a game immediately.

Jeremiah Moon
Stat Line: Punt Block

A week after Moon was called into serious action after Nick Herbig’s injury, he gets his first start of his career and makes an impact play on special teams. Moon isn’t killing it as a pass rusher, but if he can play solid special teams the Steelers have found their OLB4 on the roster. You don’t need huge contributions from your 4th pass rusher, but if he can play great special teams you found your guy. Once Highsmith and Herbig return, the Steelers may have found their guy.

Chris Boswell
Stat Line: 4/4 FGs, 2/2 XP, Automatic

Just like T.J. Watt, Boswell could be in the winner category almost every week, but I wanted him to get some credit for a solid season so far. He is automatic from almost 60 yards and in, and I wanted to give him his flowers after another stellar victory. Boswell has provided so many points for the Steelers this season, it’s the least I could do.

3rd Down Defense
Stat Line: 2-for-11

The last two weeks, both losses, the Steelers defense had been gashed on third downs. They couldn’t get off the field vs. Joe Flacco and Dak Prescott, but on Sunday the Steelers defense returned to form. Granted, on the opening Raiders drive of the game the Las Vegas offense didn’t even see third down once, but after that drive the Steelers defense tightened when it mattered most. This is the calling card for the defense, getting off the field on money downs and taking the ball away.

Losers

Penalties
Stat Line: 7-for-50

The Steelers continue to be a highly penalized team. Pre-snap penalties, this game it was delay of game calls, and plenty of holding calls to go around continue to stymie drives. If this team wants to be considered legitimate, they need to significantly decrease the self-inflicted wounds.

Injuries
Stat Line: Offensive Line Again

This offensive line just can’t catch a break. As if starting the season without Isaac Seumalo to start the game, losing James Daniels and Troy Fautanu wasn’t enough, it looks like they could be without Zach Frazier with an ankle injury. The significance of the injury isn’t known yet, but if they are without Frazier for any amount of time it will be another huge hit for the offensive line.

3rd Down Offense
Stat Line: 4-for-13

The Steelers defense tightened up on 3rd downs, but the Steelers offense certainly didn’t. It wasn’t just execution, but play calling was unable to get into manageable situations on a consistent basis. When facing a 3rd and short, nothing seems more uncomfortable than the Steelers offense. It isn’t just the quarterback, but the offensive line, play calling and plenty more. At this point we’d just like to see progress made, and we haven’t yet.

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!