The Pittsburgh community lost a beloved member last week as the longtime Steelers beat writer, Dale Lolley, passed away at the age of 56. Lolley was a personal favorite whom I discovered early in my Steelers fanhood. Part of my desire to write about the Steelers came from reading Mr. Lolley’s articles.
To honor him, my piece regarding the Steelers’ victory over the Patriots will be done in one of his most recognizable styles, “10 Thoughts”.
A win is a win, and that’s the way Mike Tomlin likes it. Winning ugly has become the veteran head coach’s style, although there is nothing stylish about it at all. The Steelers were outmatched in first downs, total plays, total yards, yards per play, yards per rush, penalties, and time of possession. They did, however, win the turnover battle and the final score.
Timely turnovers and touchdowns were the difference in this game, and although there are many things to be improved upon, the Steelers come away 2-1 and will end the week tied atop the AFC North. Below are my 10 thoughts, in the style of the late Dale Lolley.
1. Changes Made
Entering week 3, the Steelers had been gashed in the run game, giving up 299 yards in the first two weeks. After what happened in their early playoff exit in Baltimore, it would normally come as no surprise, but the organization made it a point to “retool physicality” to ensure it didn’t become the norm for the once-feared Steelers defense.
Injuries have played a factor in the middle of the defense early this year, with Deshon Elliott, Alex Highsmith, and first-round pick Derrick Harmon all missing significant playing time. But, even so, in the NFL, it’s best man up, and this particular defense appeared to be one of the deepest we’ve seen in Pittsburgh in some time.
After two games of quite literally being pushed around, Mike Tomlin finally made some changes that benefited the struggling run defense.
- Payton Wilson, the self-proclaimed best cover linebacker in the game, was benched to start the game in favor of Cole Holcomb, the veteran linebacker who is much stronger in run defense and tallied 11 tackles in the game
- Newcomer Jabrill Peppers started at strong safety and showed his worth with 8 tackles of his own against the team that cut him just a few weeks ago
- Rookie Yahya Black started at left defensive end on the defensive line, which also greatly benefited from the NFL debut of first-round pick, Derrick Harmon.
The team allowed 119 yards on the ground against the Patriots, 45 of which came from a scrambling Drake Maye. It’s not great, but a step in the right direction from the 149.5 per game they allowed in weeks 1 and 2.
2. Fast Starts
This season, in three games, the Steelers have scored 17 points on their opening drives. Two touchdowns and a Chris Boswell field goal. Last year, they scored a total of 18 points in all seventeen games on opening drives, all of which were off the toe of Chris Boswell.
Two opening drive TDs already this season, and the Steelers are 2-0 in those games. Fast starts matter.
3. Third Down Defense is Bad
As previously mentioned, the Steelers lost the time of possession battle (33:20-26:40), but that’s little indictment on the offense. The defense allowed 6/13 third-down conversions, but that does not nearly tell the tale.
Two of those conversions were on 3rd & 10+, and two more were on 3rd & 1. Of the seven 3rd downs, the defense did stop; the Patriots left the offense on the field for five of them, and converted four of those 4th downs.
Of the 13 third downs the Steelers defense forced, they ultimately gave up a first down on 10 of them. It’s almost a complete head scratcher as to how they only allowed 14 points in the contest, almost.
4. Turnovers
The five forced turnovers were the difference in this game, and a big difference it was. The score could have been much more lopsided, in favor of the Patriots.
Four of the Patriots’ five turnovers occurred in Steelers’ territory, with two of them taking place at the Steelers’ 2-yard line. The Steelers converted two of the five Patriots turnovers into touchdowns, which were at a premium for the struggling Steelers’ offense.
Running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson were benched after combining for three lost fumbles, but Patriots players weren’t solely responsible for the sloppy ball security.
Thankfully, the defensive captain, Cam Heyward, bailed out his co-captain with a forced fumble to abruptly end the Patriots’ ensuing drive.
5. Cam Heyward looked like Cam Heyward
Over the last few weeks, Cam Heyward had been getting pushed around and gashed in the run game, along with the rest of the defense. This week, Cam looked like Cam again.
Our Captain, who largely leads by example, did just that against the Patriots. This defense will follow Cam Heyward as he goes, and he appears to have gotten it going in New England.
6. Wrong Tight Ends Dominate
Entering the season, the revamped offense garnered a lot of attention. The addition of Jonnu Smith via trade added to an already talented room.
Each tight end brings a unique skill set to the room and earned high praise from their veteran QB:
“I think it’s the best tight end room I’ve been around in my 21 years, because you have four extremely capable guys”
Although the talent is plentiful, the usage is not. Tight ends were targeted 6 times, catching 4 of them for 29 yards against the Patriots.
Those Patriots though, had no shortage of Tight End production. Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper combined for 14 targets, catching 10 of them for 118 yards and 2 TDs.
7. Jaylen Warren is the Best Player on Offense
The Steelers may not have given up big money, draft capital, or their reputation to acquire him, but make no mistake, Jaylen Warren is the best player on the offense.
The statistics may not, or do not suggest it, but anyone who watches this team week in and week out knows who the spark plug is.
Although he’s averaged 3.4, 3.4, and 2.6 yards per carry in three games this season, the offense goes as Jaylen goes. He runs harder, plays with more passion, and shifts momentum more than any single player on this struggling offense.
Warren carried the ball 13 times in the first half, and only 5 in the second, despite the Steelers carrying a 14-7 lead into halftime. His usage has increased each week and should continue to do so. Especially if the Steelers want to continue their winning ways.
8. Kaleb Johnson: Nowhere to be Found
Prized rookie running back Kaleb Johnson was nowhere to be found on Sunday. After being removed from kick return duties, due to last week’s debacle, there was much debate whether or not he would be dressed for the game on Sunday.
Practice squad running back Trey Sermon was elevated to the 53-man roster, and he handled the kick return duties in Johnson’s absence.
After three games, the third-round pick has totaled 2 carries for -1 yard. For as deep as he is on the depth chart, he appears to be even deeper in Tomlin’s dog house.
9. Middle of the Field is Steelers’ Achilles Heel
A massive topic of discussion, especially last year, has reappeared in 2025. The depth at tight end, trade for D.K. Metcalf, and the addition of Rodgers all pointed to greater use of the middle of the field, an area that was avoided like the plague with QBs Russell Wilson and Justin Fields last season.
10/23 attempts were at or behind the line of scrimmage, with only 4/23 being within 5 yards of the hash marks.
Defensively, the middle of the field is an even bigger problem. We saw last week that there was no answer for the constant crossers the Seahawks ran. In week 3, the problem continued..
10/14 with a TD pass from Drake Maye while attacking the middle of the Steelers’ defense. With names like Heyward, Queen, and Ramsey, the middle of the field should be an avoided sector of the Steelers’ defense. But it continues to be a weakness and Tomlin’s Achilles heel.
10. Don’t Fall Short in Ireland
Next week, the Steelers travel to Ireland to meet the Minnesota Vikings in an international matchup that will be seen worldwide. As I wrote earlier this year, it’s a game the Rooney family has been working on for many years. Taking their famed franchise back to their home country in their first international game since 2013.
With all eyes on the Steelers as they kick off the week 4 NFL Sunday slate, they face a hot Vikings team that defeated the Steelers’ rival, the Bengals, 48-10 in week 3. Another ugly game, a game without five favorable turnovers, or without a win at all, could, or should, get owner Art Rooney II thinking.
An embarrassing loss for the Steelers on worldwide television in the country in which his father was the United States Ambassador to, may finally be enough to put Mike Tomlin on the hot seat.
