The 2024 version of the Pittsburgh Steelers has had many upgrades, and they are all showing on the field. The offense has had much fewer three-and-outs, and the defense has shut their opponents down completely so far, as they average less than nine points allowed per game. There are still plenty of things that the team needs to clean up, but progress is progress, and the Steelers desperately needed this level of development. If they can continue to get better, the sky is the limit for the Black and Gold.
Cameron Heyward was asked about some of these big changes, including the fact that he gets a lot more rest now. He laughed about it and admitted that it has been a very obvious switch up.
"Yeah, because I'm on the sideline chilling. When we're on the sideline, it just means our offense is sustaining drives, allowing us to gas back up. You guys were there on Sunday [Week 3 vs Chargers], it was hot, and so the way we were able to counteract it was our offense was on the field. When we have that success from our offense staying on the field, converting, keeping drives going, that benefits everybody."
In their Week 3 match against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Steelers won the time of possession battle, as they held onto the ball for almost 34 minutes, compared to being on defense for roughly 26 minutes. A large chunk of that came in the second half, as the offense and defense played complementary football and dominated that part of the game. That level of play led to Pittsburgh winning 20-10, with the chance for more points had they not kneeled the game away.
The defense did their job by only allowing one first down throughout the whole half and getting off the field. They were able to stay off the gridiron as the offense had four big drives. Even when Justin Fields threw an interception, the defense managed to hold up, and the offense got right back on track like it never even happened. That's exactly the kind of game that Pittsburgh wants to run.
Steelers' Defense Could Get Used To This Much Rest
During the 2023 season, life was not easy at all for the defense. Under Matt Canada, the offense could not move the ball for the longest time. His unit had continually gotten worse with each passing season, and points were at a premium. Things eventually got better after he was fired, but life was miserable for this all-star defense.
That offense set record after record for how inept they were. The only positive thing from that offense was Kenny Pickett setting his own records for comebacks. In 2022, he broke the all-time rookie record for game-winning drives in the second half, and he only added to that total in the first half of 2023.
While Arthur Smith's unit still has a lot of work to do, they have been able to at least sustain more drives and allow their defense to rest. In their Week 1 game against the Atlanta Falcons, they only had one three-and-out. Even though they were unable to make it into the end zone, they were able to move the ball on the ground and through the air consistently. That allowed the defense to be ready for each and every drive and shut the Falcons out in the second half.
