Corey Eckenroth, Contributor

As we sit here at the bye week of the 2024 NFL season, the Pittsburgh Steelers are currently 6-2 and alone at the top of the AFC North standings.

Read that last part again…

‘… the Pittsburgh Steelers are currently 6-2 and alone at the top of the AFC North standings.’

That sounds really good.

When looking at the schedule at the beginning of the year, most may have considered that this is where the Steelers were supposed to be, based off of the perceived strength of other teams.

Now, whether those assumptions are merited, we should perhaps have a look at the data (which might be a good idea for an article over the bye week, now that I think about it.), but the Steelers can only beat the teams they are scheduled to play.

Should they have beaten the Colts? Eh, I’d argue that the Colts came to play and punched the Steelers in the mouth that game. The Colts earned that victory, the Steelers didn’t lose it. Now, the Cowboys game, THAT game you could say that the Steelers lost. The defense couldn’t hold in it’s earliest ‘big pressure’ situation of the season, giving up the last second touchdown.

In either case, the Steelers two losses by a combined 6 points is very encouraging. It means that they were right in those games to the very end. Better execution in Indy, and a defensive stop on 4th down vs Dallas, and this team is undefeated through the first half of the season.

Arthur Smith looks the part of an NFL Offensive Coordinator, and the schemes that he and O Line coach Pat Meyer are starting to mesh together. There is markedly better play from the offense, and the production doesn’t seem so tenuous as it did under Matt Canada or Randy Fichtner.

The Steelers had MAJOR question marks during the offseason about the offensive line, and the Steelers have managed to answer the bell every time that calamity strikes.

First, it was Center Nate Herbig going down for the season on IR. No big deal, most of us thought, we were all pretty sure that rookie 2nd Rounder Zach Frazier was going to do a decent job as his replacement. Maybe not perfect, but decent.

Then Right Tackle Troy Fautanu goes down on IR. The prized 1st round pick from this past NFL Draft. Big blow, but not something that couldn’t be overcome, especially since the Steelers used a 1st Round pick LAST year on an Offensive Tackle, in Broderick Jones.

And if that wasn’t enough, Right Guard James Daniels gets injured and is forced onto IR. Oh, and that’s not even mentioning that Left Guard Isaac Seumalo was injured and missed a couple games.

The Offensive Line has dealt with major attrition along the line, and yet…

… the Steelers are getting better on offense, not worse.

Russell Wilson now has more command of the offense and has an obvious grasp that is superior to Justin Fields. For all that Fields has in his future, and it is undoubtedly bright, Wilson represents the opportunity in the ‘now’ that the Steelers have to maximize any type of Super Bowl window with the big contract players the Steelers are invested in, with TJ Watt, Cam Heyward, and Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Justin Fields has done a marvelous job of getting the team to 4-2, and in the process, merely cemented himself as the best backup QB in the league. Russell Wilson is doing a great job of managing the offense and making the necessary throws to extend plays and get first downs, but all of this success really stems from the play calling and blocking schemes. I wonder what Kenny Pickett is thinking right now as he sees what the Steelers offense is, and what could have been for him had he just kept his mouth shut?

The cherry on top is the realization that the Steelers are only halfway through the first season of this offensive renovation. Arthur Smith and the offense have two weeks to tweak and add wrinkles, get invaluable film time, and practice reps to really drive home blocking schemes.

This is where the Steelers offense is going to realize that there is yet another gear to grab for, and just in time for the stretch run where the running game is REALLY going to get a head of steam.

With all of the divisional games yet to be played, as well as those other big games looming with the Eagles and Chiefs, the running game is going to be battle tested right in time for December playoff football.

Speaking of battle tested, the defense was showing some cracks during the Giants game. I think the bye week is coming at the perfect time for them to rest, AND, the Steelers are due to get a bunch of players back from In-Season IR as reinforcements.

This 2024 Steelers team feels more complete than versions in years recently past. The coaching job that Mike Tomlin has done this season has to be one of his best yet.

Tomlin has had as much scrutiny as ever on him recently. For as much success as he has had with 17 non-losing seasons, he was taking heat for how little he was scraping by to maintain that streak, with recent 8-8 campaigns. The Steelers had major questions about the direction of the team. There were two QB’s that were question marks, even if they were hopeful question marks. The running game question marks. The offensive coordinator questions. The offensive line questions. The cornerback questions, etc.

For how much was unknown about this team coming into the season, Coach Tomlin has done nothing but cook, just like his hand-picked QB (Wilson) has, just like his hand-crafted defense has.

It seems like Coach Tomlin is quietly cooking up another great season to add to his resume, right in front of all the haters faces. The good news for the haters though?

It would be pretty hard not to see Mike Tomlin’s seat become blistering hot if he somehow manages a 9-8 record out of this 6-2 start. So the ‘doom-and-gloomers’ should start praying for the losses.

Lets see what the Steelers have in store for the second half of the season. I am expecting them to come out of the break and run the ball even better than they did in the first half, if that’s even possible. Najee Harris is probably the hottest back in football right now. The passing game has opened up, if not for needing to finish drives with touchdowns, and Jeff Hartman can finally stop griping about the Steelers offense being able to average 24pts/gm so that they can win a Lombardi.

For those who aren’t familiar, Jeff has routinely said on his Let’s Ride Pod that he believes that if the Steelers could average 24.0 pts/gm on offense, that they had a realistic chance to win the Superbowl. I think it might take a few more than that, but 24.0 pts/gm will certainly put us into the Divisional Round/Conference Championship conversation, instead of the “one and done” model the Steelers have followed the last few times they’ve made the playoffs.

The second half will show just how much this Steelers team has actually grown up from the versions of the last couple of years, but make no mistake, an exciting brand of football has returned to the Steel City, and it could even have the chance to turn into 7th heaven.