That’s a view of the Steelers season after four games.
It’s both apt and optimistic for a 3-1 team that saw a 50 percent turnover of the players (who comprised the top 13 amount of snaps on both sides of the ball) in the 2024 and 2025 openers.
Fifty percent turnover is a massive change. And the turnover from 2024 playoff lineup to 2025 opener was 38 percent, still a sizable turnover.
For a coach whose goal of the preseason was to get his players to “the starting line” in good health, the building — the true team building — didn’t begin until the regular season did.
And the Steelers have obviously improved from Week One to Week Four, when the sizable import of new players began to settle in.
The Steelers entered their bye week at 3-1 with road wins against two AFC opponents. The fact they rank 29th in offense and 28th in defense offers promise that so much improvement is yet to occur.
Well, their “turnover culture” is alive and well. The Steelers are second in the NFL with a +7 margin in turnovers, much of that due to a third-place standing in total sacks with 14.
They are also seventh in red zone TD percentage, so they not only get extra chances with turnovers, they take advantage with touchdowns.
Individually, only Aaron Rodgers has a top-10 spot in key rankings. The Steelers’ new QB is fourth with 8 TD passes and ninth with a 102.6 passer rating.
But statistics don’t tell the story of “winning while building” at 3-1. The highlights have kept Steelers Nation on the edge of its collective seat throughout the first quarter of the season. Here’s a game-by-game look at the best of the first four games: