It’s no surprise that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ three-game winning streak has come on the back of some strong offensive play. While it’s not the most explosive unit in the league, the Steelers have scored nearly 30 points in each of those three wins. It’s especially impressive considering how different the offense looks now, compared to the start of the season. Injuries have taken a couple of starters out, and Pittsburgh’s added a few new faces as well. One of those is Adam Thielen, who caught four passes for 49 yards in the Steelers’ 29-24 win over the Detroit Lions.
“Obviously, we have a lot of confidence in just the playmakers and the offensive line. Obviously the quarterback, and the offensive coordinator,” Thielen said Sunday via Steelers.com. “You know, just kind of plugging away, and just trying to be ready for a performance like this. And we know. No one doubted that we can do something like that. And again, you have a lot of guys that can do a lot of things in this offense and be versatile and help this team.”
Since Thielen joined the team ahead of the win over Baltimore, the Steelers’ offense has looked significantly better. Again, it’s not setting the world on fire, as the Steelers still haven’t scored 30 points since their win over Cincinnati in mid-November. But it’s operating well enough to get the job done.
Sunday was a similar slow start like last week, but Kenneth Gainwell made a spectaculr touchdown catch just before halftime to tie the game. In the second half, the running game really took over. Jaylen Warren ripped off two long touchdown runs, each of which covered 45 yards. Just look at the blocking on his second touchdown run.
Pittsburgh did the job through the air, too. Adam Thielen himself had his best game as a Steeler, with the final three of his four receptions all coming on third-and-long situations. The first came just before Gainwell’s touchdown, with Thielen picking up 12 yards on 3rd and 10. The second came just a couple of plays later on another 3rd and 10. And in the third quarter, Thielen racked up 17 yards on the same down and distance.
It really says a lot that the Steelers’ offense has been able to rally the way it has the last three weeks. The Steelers are deep down the depth chart with Dylan Cook at left tackle, but he’s been good. Both Warren and Gainwell have stepped up as the offense has needed them to as well. And then there’s newer players like Thielen and Marquez Valdes-Scantling making big plays in the last two weeks.
Sunday was an impressive win. While the Steelers still may be considered underdogs if they make the playoffs, the offense certainly is playing with some confidence. If the Steelers can continue that momentum, they might look pretty scary come playoff time.