3 Takeaways from Steelers' Week 7 Win vs. Rams
The Pittsburgh Steelers came out of the bye week, went into Los Angeles and left with their fourth win of the season.
It wasn't pretty, and Pittsburgh may or may not have benefited from a questionable fourth-down spot late in the game. However, the Steelers did enough against a surprisingly competitive Los Angeles Rams team to secure the 24-17 victory.
At 4-2, the Steelers are firmly in the AFC North mix, along with the 5-2 Baltimore Ravens, 4-2 Cleveland Browns and 3-3 Cincinnati Bengals.
Here are our biggest takeaways from the Steelers' Week 7 win over the Rams.
It Was More of the Same Offensively After the Bye
Steelers fans haven't been happy with offensive coordinator Matt Canada this season, and for good reason. The offense has too often looked unoriginal and predictable, and it hasn't been particularly efficient.
Pittsburgh came into Sunday ranked 30th in total offense and 30th in scoring. The offense had converted just 37 percent of its third downs. There was, though, some hope that Canada and the Steelers would shake things up offensively during the Week 6 bye.
"Najee Harris said during the bye week he and Mason Cole stayed an extra day to look over film and find out what changes need to be made on offense," Emily Giangreco of WTAE 4 posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "He said they took their thoughts to the coaching staff and that those changes are going to be in this game plan against LA."
However, the offense looked a lot like it did before the bye, especially in the first half. Over the first two quarters, Pittsburgh logged a mere 91 yards and three points while going 0-for-5 on third downs.
Things did pick up in the second half, and Kenny Pickett engineered two fourth-quarter touchdown drives, but it's beginning to feel like dramatic and creative changes to the offense simply aren't coming this season.
The Pickett-Pickens Connection Continues to Grow
Canada's offense is simplistic and relies heavily on Pittsburgh's best players outperforming the competition. For many teams, that wouldn't be a viable plan, but it's working for the Steelers, at least, in the win column.
A big reason for that is the growing connection between Pickett and second-year receiver George Pickens. The pair flashed plenty of chemistry last season, and Pickens is growing into his role as Pittsburgh's new No. 1 receiving option.
The connection has lacked some consistency. During the Week 4 blowout loss to the Houston Texans, Pickens caught just three of seven targets for 35 yards, and he had just 36 yards in the Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
When the connection has been hot, however, Pittsburgh has been hard to beat. Pickens caught six passes for 130 yards and a touchdown during the Week 5 comeback win over the Ravens. He finished Sunday's game with five catches and 107 yards.
The 22-year-old receiver is looking like a gem of a second-round pick, and he and Pickett could grow into one of the league's more exciting young tandems sooner than later.
Run Defense Remains a Concern
While the Steelers did just enough offensively, they got a huge helping hand from their defense. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was sacked twice, picked off once, and L.A. was held to just eight second-half points.
It wasn't all positive for Pittsburgh's defense, though. Once again, the Steelers were gashed on the ground. Despite not having running backs Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers, the Rams racked up 135 rushing yards and 4.4 yards per carry.
Run defense has been a problem all season for the Steelers, who came into Week 7 ranked 27th in yards per carry allowed. It seems that some of the issue stems from the offseason departure of defensive assistant Brian Flores, who left to become the Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator.
Two years ago, Pittsburgh ranked dead-last against the run. Flores came in as a senior assistant and the linebackers coach, and Pittsburgh fielded a top-10 run defense—in both yards and yards per carry allowed.
Now the run defense is struggling again, and the bye doesn't seem to have helped. It's an issue that bears watching with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans up next on the schedule.