First-place Pittsburgh Steelers are exceeding everyone’s expectations — except their own

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The phrase sounded odd coming out of DeShon Elliott’s mouth. Even though it happened to be true.

Standing inside the Pittsburgh locker room Sunday after another taut victory over the Baltimore Ravens pushed the Steelers to 8-2 and gave them a little wiggle room atop the AFC North, Elliott pulled out a well-worn cliche that made up for in accuracy what it lacked in originality.

“No one expected us to be here right now,” Elliott said.

Three months ago, the Steelers were mostly a mystery after blowing up the quarterback room in the offseason and bringing in an offensive coordinator (Arthur Smith) who spent three years running in place as the head coach in Atlanta.

Pittsburgh began the season as a 50-1 long shot to reach the Super Bowl. Its three AFC North rivals — yes, even Cleveland — had shorter odds.

The narrative has shifted considerably as Thanksgiving approaches, thanks in part to a team that has all the hallmarks of a legitimate threat to play deep into January and perhaps beyond, fueled by a deep roster.

Consider that 44 of the 45 players in uniform Sunday at Acrisure Stadium saw the field, symbolic of a team where all three phases seem to make an impact every week.

Yes, that was backup quarterback Justin Fields helping ice the game in the final two minutes a month after ceding the starting job to a healthy Russell Wilson.

Yes, that was punter Corliss Waitman taking another step in reviving his career by flipping the field regularly.

Yes, that was 6-foot-7 tight end Darnell Washington — who is now on the other side of 300 pounds, according to position coach Alfredo Roberts — producing multiple chunk plays.

Yes, that was rookie offensive linemen Zach Frazier and Mason McCormick leaning into the “villain” aspect of one of the NFL’s most heated rivalries by mixing it up with the guys in white, black and purple nearly every chance they got.

“Most fun I’ve had on the field in a while,” Frazier said.

And with good reason.

While the Steelers are not without their problems — winning without scoring a touchdown as they have done twice this season likely isn’t sustainable — there is a growing belief that they belong in the conversation as legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

You could hear the edge in star linebacker T.J. Watt’s voice when he was asked what another shutdown performance against Lamar Jackson says about Watt’s team.

“We have a lot of players,” Watt said. “On paper and off paper.”

A few feet away, Cam Heyward rattled off some of those players’ names before arriving at a consensus that seems to be permeating the locker room.

“I think we have a complementary team,” he said. “You know, special teams, defense, offense, no matter the situation. We have guys and playmakers all around that can step up in those moments … And I love that from our group.”

What’s working

Getting inside Jackson’s head.

The Steelers are now 4-1 against the two-time NFL MVP after making Jackson look ordinary for most of three-plus hours. Jackson completed less than 50% of his passes for the first time this season and spent a lot of time scrambling behind the line of scrimmage hoping to summon the downfield magic that has defined much of Baltimore’s season.

It never came against the Ravens’ biggest rival. A late two-point conversion attempt was a microcosm of Jackson’s day. He took the ball and raced to his left only to be swarmed by a sea of black jerseys before floating a pass that fell to the turf. In the moment, Jackson was something he’s rarely been throughout his career — lost.

What needs help

The primary reason kicker Chris Boswell is putting together such a prolific season is that the Steelers are frequently settling for field goals instead of touchdowns, particularly in drives that reach the red zone.

Pittsburgh didn’t reach the end zone in four trips inside the Baltimore 20, dropping its red-zone touchdown percentage to 44.4 (16 of 36), 30th in the league. While Boswell has been automatic (29 of 30), coach Mike Tomlin winces a little every time his kicker trots onto the field on fourth down.

“It reminds us of our warts,” Tomlin said. “It reminds us of the work we need to do.”

Stock up

Questions about Payton Wilson’s health, particularly his surgically repaired right knee, contributed to the inside linebacker sliding to the third round in the draft.

Wilson — who says he does indeed still have the ACL in the knee despite pre-draft reports that he had it removed — has steadily improved in his rookie season. He showcased his speed and athleticism with a leaping fourth-quarter interception in which he ripped the ball out of Baltimore running back Justice Hill’s hands while they fell to the turf.

“That’s All-Pro play,” teammate Patrick Queen said. “Plays like that, that’s not normal.”

Stock down

The wide receiver group outside of George Pickens was again basically invisible. While Pickens finished with eight receptions for 89 yards, the combination of Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III, Mike Williams, Ben Skowronek and Scotty Miller had just three grabs for 3 yards combined.

Injuries

Linebacker Alex Highsmith is expected to miss his second straight game with an ankle injury, but otherwise the Steelers are relatively healthy as the stretch run looms.

Key number

Plus-80 — Pittsburgh’s scoring margin in the second half, tops in the NFL.

Next steps

Try to secure the franchise’s 18th straight non-losing season under Tomlin — and 21st overall — on Thursday night in Cleveland. While the Browns are struggling, the game is hardly a gimme. Pittsburgh is 1-4-1 in its last six trips to Huntington Bank Field.

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