Nov 17, 2023 5 min read

By Dale Lolley

For the Observer-Reporter

newsroom@observer-reporter.com

There’s been a lot of “yeah, buts,” surrounding the Steelers. As in, “yeah, they won, but …”

The bottom line is that the Steelers have reached this point at 6-3, winners of 13 of their past 18 games dating back to last season.

And in the past two games, both wins, they’ve done so by re-establishing the running game they found in the second half of last season.

After running for 205 yards in their 23-19 win over the Green Bay Packers last Sunday, the Steelers have gained 371 yards on the ground in their past two games. That’s their best rushing performance in back-to-back games since Weeks 2 and 3 of the 2007 season, when they gained 184 and 205 yards in wins over the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers, respectively.

That team, in coach Mike Tomlin’s first season, also rushed for 206 yards in Week 1 in a win at Cleveland.

So, we shouldn’t be surprised the Steelers are establishing a run-first mentality. It’s really in the DNA of Tomlin, a defensive coach at heart.

It’s taken the Steelers a while to get to this point, perhaps longer than anyone thought it would after the team averaged 146.2 yards per game on the ground in its final nine games last season, and then improved up front with additions such as guard Isaac Seumalo and blocking tight end Darnell Washington.

“Last year, we had a bunch of new people, guys that were new to us,” said Tomlin. “Our center was new, our right guard was new. This year, I thought we’d have a new left guard but our left tackle missed some time, our right guard missed some time. And I think that group, like a secondary, needs collective experience in order to gain the type of cohesion that you desire to be a consistent performer. And so, for a variety of different reasons … it’s been in development. I’m comfortable with where we are. I see the development of cohesion, but I expect to.”

Whatever the reason, the running game is here now. And the Steelers will need to lean on it as they did last year down the stretch, starting Sunday at Cleveland.

What did we all do to deserve this?

By this, I mean the schedule of games the NFL has for Week 11.

Not only did we get Cincinnati at Baltimore on Thursday night, we get some other interesting games such as Steelers-Browns, the red-hot Vikings at the suddenly interesting Broncos and, on Monday night, a rematch of last year’s Super Bowl when the Eagles visit the Chiefs.

Sure, there are some stinkers out there again – Cowboys at Panthers, anyone? But at least this week the viewing public won’t have to watch the two New York teams stagger their way through another game. Or, the Patriots do the same.

There are good divisions in the NFL, and then there’s the AFC North.

It’s just built differently. As of this writing, The Ravens (15.7), Browns (18.9), Steelers (20.2) and Bengals (21.3) are all allowing less than 22 points per game, which puts them all in the top 16 in the NFL.

The last time four teams from the same division all finished a season allowing 21 points or fewer per game in a season? The AFC North in 2011.

That $230-million, fully guaranteed investment the Browns made in Deshaun Watson sure is paying off, huh?

Two years into the deal, the Browns will have gotten 12 starts from Watson, going 8-4. But they will have paid him $91 million.

This week’s games

Steelers (plus 2) at Browns: The Steelers are 6-0 in one-score games. And now they’ll face a backup at QB instead of Watson, who is out for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury. The Browns are the Lucy Van Pelt of the NFL. Just when you think they’ve got a chance, something happens to them to pull the football away at the last moment. This should be a defensive struggle as evidenced by a 34½-point over-under. But the Steelers win another one-score game. Take the Steelers, 16-13.

Cowboys (minus 10½) at Panthers: The oddsmakers have figured out that when good teams play bad ones, they’ve been blowing them out this season. This is one of those instances. And the Cowboys can’t beat anyone good, but they beat up on the bad teams. Take the Cowboys, 31-13.

Titans (plus 6½) at Jaguars: The Jaguars will be looking to wash away the stink of last week’s blowout loss to the 49ers. The Titans, meanwhile, looked lost last week in their loss to the Bucs. Take the Jaguars, 24-16.

Eagles (plus 2½) at Chiefs: A Super Bowl rematch in a Monday night game. Both teams are coming off a bye week, so there’s no advantage there. But with the game at Arrowhead Stadium, we’ll go with the home team. Take the Chiefs, 23-20.

Cardinals (plus 4) at Texans: With Kyler Murray back and now with a game under his belt, this game has shootout possibilities – at least by today’s NFL standards. The Texans should win, but the Cardinals have been plucky all season. Take the Cardinals to cover in a 27-24 loss.

Last Week: 4-1 ATS; 3-2 straight up

Overall: 29-19-2 ATS; 32-18 straight up