7 Steelers surprises in Sunday’s win against the Packers
Each week our SCU staff and contributors picks the “surprises” from the Pittsburgh Steelers latest matchup. Check out more below to see which plays and situations surprised us the most!
On Sunday the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Green Bay Packers for their Week 10 matchup at Acrisure Stadium.
The Steelers improved to a 6-3 record with a 23-19 victory. Here are some of the surprises from that game.
Opening Offense
For a second straight week, the Steelers offense started with the football first – and for a second straight week, they were able to score on their opening drive.
The nine-play 75-yard drive culminated in a four-yard Najee Harris touchdown.
No Picks From Pickett
Second-year Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett has now gone six consecutive games without turning the ball over.
Pickett finished the game 14-of-23 for 126 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Warren Tops 100
For the first time in his career Pittsburgh running back Jaylen Warren topped 100 yards rushing in a single game.
Warren finished the game besting his previous week’s career high of 88 yards by carrying the ball 15 times for 101 yards (6.7 average) with a touchdown.
Combined Running Game
Warren’s running mate Najee Harris carried the ball 16 times for 82 yards (5.1 average) including a touchdown.
This also topped Harris’ previous season-high of 69 yards the previous week.
The Steelers offense combined rushing totals from Sunday was 36 carries for 205 yards and two touchdowns. They ran 30 times for 166 yards against the Titans in the previous game, combining for 371 yards on the ground and three touchdowns in their last two games.
Big Plays From P2
Patrick Peterson provided a spark that was missing with Minkah Fitzpatrick out of the lineup.
The 33-year-old veteran cornerback had maybe his best game in a Steelers uniform, blocking an extra point attempt plus tipping a pass that was intercepted by Keanu Neal in the endzone.
Watt Second To One
T.J. Watt continues to climb the record books, passing his brother J.J. Watt to become second all-time in number of sacks within a player’s first 100 career games.
Watt’s sack of Jordan Love moves him to 88 career sacks in 96 games, only behind Hall of Famer Reggie White (who had 105 sacks in his first 100 games.)
Kwon’s Injury
29-year-old inside linebacker Kwon Alexander suffered a season-ending injury on Sunday. He is the second Steelers inside linebacker to go on IR in as many weeks, joining Cole Holcomb who was lost for the season last week against the Titans.
The Steelers linebacker group is thinning, left to free agent addition Elandon Roberts and second-year pro Mark Robinson.
