A strong defense. An offense that heavily relies on the running game. A solid start to a season full of potential but uncertain at quarterback.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have experienced this before, even if Mike Tomlin and Russell Wilson have not.
Fifty years ago, the original “Steel Curtain” defense, led by Joe Greene, was at its best. Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier made a powerful duo in the backfield, while rookie wide receivers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth provided the deep threats the passing game needed.
But something felt off. Coach Chuck Noll sensed it even while Pittsburgh went 4-1-1 in the first six weeks. Joe Gilliam, who started in Week 1 after Terry Bradshaw was hurt in the preseason, threw four touchdowns but also had eight interceptions during those games.
This led Noll to switch back to Bradshaw and even consider third-stringer Terry Hanratty.
The ongoing changes at the key quarterback position could have split the team. In some ways, it did. Greene became so frustrated after a loss to the Houston Oilers that he cleaned out his locker in anger, only to have wide receivers coach Lionel Taylor convince him not to quit.
Bradshaw eventually found his rhythm, and the season ended with the Steelers winning their first Super Bowl.
Looking back, Swann doesn’t focus on the difficult path Pittsburgh took to success, just the end result. When asked during a 50th-anniversary celebration of the 1974 team, just hours before Wilson led the Steelers to a surprising 37-15 win over the New York Jets that improved their record to 5-2, the Hall of Famer just smiled when remembering the rough season from fifty years ago.
“Chuck was going to do what Chuck was going to do,” Swann said. “As players, we knew we just had to do our jobs for whoever the quarterback was. I caught my first career touchdown pass from Joe. I was with Joe just like I was fine with Terry or (Hanratty).”
Inside the Acrisure Stadium locker room just after Sunday night turned into early Monday morning, inside linebacker Patrick Queen shared a similar view when discussing Wilson and backup-turned-starter-turned-backup Justin Fields.
“We have got a lot of faith in both of those guys,” Queen said. “Justin did a great job and now Russ has come in and done a great job. We know whoever we have back there, they’re going to give us a chance to win.”
Maybe, but Wilson’s performance in his first regular-season game in 10 months showed a glimpse of what Tomlin and first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith believe the Steelers can achieve.
Wilson completed 16 of 29 passes for 264 yards, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another. Wide receiver George Pickens had five catches for 111 yards and scored his first touchdown of the season.
Running back Najee Harris rushed for over 100 yards for the second week in a row, and the Steelers scored more than 30 points in back-to-back games for the first time since 2020.
Suddenly, all the outside concerns about Wilson’s return from a calf injury disrupting what the Steelers thought they were building with Fields vanished. It’s interesting how winning convincingly changes that.
“We’re having fun playing ball,” Wilson said. “We’re having fun going to practice. We’re having fun being around one another and Coach Tomlin believes in all of us.” His 35-year-old quarterback perhaps most of all.
