Labriola in the win against the Raiders

This is what it might look like. The problem is whether this formula can get them where they want to go.

The Steelers snapped their two-game losing streak in decisive fashion with a 32-13 win over the Raiders in Sin City that put them at 4-2, and there's plenty of room to feel good about the way they're doing.

On offense, they entered five plays with the same starting offensive line for the second straight game – the first time that's happened all season – and the running game responded with its most productive performance of 2024 with 183 yards (more than 141 vs. Denver and 40 yards better). ), a 5.2 average (more than 1 full yard better than 4.1 vs. Indianapolis), and 3 rushing touchdowns (1 more than 2 vs. Indianapolis).

With due respect to the combined efforts of those same five linemen plus tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, and the blocking generated by some excellent work from guys on the perimeter, it was Nazi Harris who did the heavy lifting. Indeed, a better description would be that Harris carved.

Yes, Harris finished with 106 yards, a 7.6 average, and a 36-yard touchdown, and it's also true that after coming into the game ranked fourth in the NFL in broken tackles, he added to his total yesterday. But it should be noted that Harris' 14 carries included gains of 13, 15, 26, and 36 yards, which is a nice stretch for a 242-pound man.

And whatever Raiders defenders had after that, Justin Fields sucked the life out of them. Fields finished with 59 yards on 11 carries, but once you subtract the knee-down in the winning formation, he had 7 carries/scrambles that were big plays to secure the victory. He converted on second-and-10 with a 14-yard run; with an 18-yard run on a second and 13. And then to cap a 6-play, 30-yard drive that followed a takeaway, Fields ran for 7 yards to the Raiders 12-yard line on first and 10; and 3 for a touchdown on fourth-and-1 from the 3-yard line.

NFL quarterbacks can generally be classified as mobile, scramblers or runners. Since entering the NFL in 2021, only Lamar Jackson has more yards rushing, and only Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen have more. Fields is a runner.

“I just thought it was a collective effort, not just the bigs, but the guys on the perimeter,” coach Mike Tomlin said of the team's running game. “And obviously Nazi and everybody else. But I just thought any time you have a run output it's not an individual, it's a collective. That breakout run (Harris' 36-yard touchdown), I think (Pat Freiremuth) sealed it. When I saw that in the corner and let him go, I just felt the collective strength and effort that was necessary.”

The question is whether or not Fields could be in the same zip code as Jackson, Hurts and Allen, as the upcoming schedule still has to be navigated to include a home-and-home vs. the Ravens, Bengals and Browns, plus one-offs vs. Washington, Philadelphia, and Kansas City. Will need more than 14-of-24 (58.3 percent) for 145 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions and a 75.9 rating.

This is because the defense sometimes has 3 takeaways – one of which was a fumble recovery at the opponent's 30-yard line, one of which was a forced fumble at the 1-yard line, and one of which was an interception and return. Opponent's 7-yard line – but most of the time it won't be. And sometimes special teams contribute a blocked punt, as it did vs. the Raiders that was recovered at the opponent's 9-yard line, but most of the time it won't.

In those cases when the defense and special teams don't contribute like that, the Steelers are going to need an NFL-level passing game, and the only word that describes Fields' passing right now is “sometimes.”

Sometimes he sees it and throws on time and on target, and sometimes one of those three elements is missing. By all accounts, Fields is a hard worker who coaches and is a good teammate, but can he be the kind of guy who upgrades when he sees it and throws on time and on target most of the time, and is it even fair to expect that to happen? Now because now the Steelers can send a defense on the field that has dynamic players at every level of the unit, plus special teams with a punter averaging 47.6 yards per game, a placekicker converting 95.2 percent, and units blocking a field goal and a punt in the last 2 games.

For the first time this season, Russell Wilson was the No. 2 quarterback, and he wasn't given that designation for perfect attendance at the meet. Wilson was medically cleared to participate fully in practice, and coach Mike Tomlin liked what he saw.

“First and foremost, my No. 1 agenda was that I wanted him to be able to demonstrate his health, not just his ability to move but his ability to protect himself. I was really comfortable with what I saw out there,” Tomlin said. “The rest of the equation is cutting out the rust and getting a relationship, a relationship with the receiver battery and things of that nature. And I thought it was a really good week from that standpoint.”

Eventually, Tomlin will get to the point where he's seen enough of Wilson to set the original plan for the quarterback position in motion. As a refresher, here's what Tomlin had to say about it a few days before the Aug. 17 preseason game vs. Buffalo:

“(The depth chart at quarterback) is probably in the same place that I described throughout the spring and summer. Both guys are competing for roles. Russ has the pole position because of the body of work, the work that he brings is new to us in the next few weeks, and I Excited to see it happen.”

That heat was cooled significantly by the recurrence of Wilson's calf injury, the day players reported to training camp, and the veteran with 9 Pro Bowls and one Super Bowl was an afterthought on his resume. But there are things about Wilson — the way he looks on the field, his ability to make anticipated throws, his infectious get-done-there personality combined with an inclusive mentality and an up-beat approach to his teammates — that call him the pole position and the offseason. He was kept there for the duration of the program. His new teammates voted him captain.

It seems that a time to rethink everything is coming. soon And that's because of “now.”

Now the Steelers must attack an 11-game stretch of a schedule that is more challenging than any other team during the same period. Now that they have a defense and special teams that look capable of holding up their ends of the bargain. Now when they're starting to get back some of their walking injuries. Now stacking enough wins through those 11 games to get where they want to go and do what they need to do once they get there requires more from the offense than a running game.

It makes a lot of sense to find that Wilson has what it takes to make a difference. It's going to happen, because it has to happen. In the meantime, it's always fun to beat riders into place when they're taken over by terrible towels.