5 Steelers surprises in Sunday’s win against the Rams
Each week our SCU staff and contributors picks the “surprises” from the Pittsburgh Steelers latest matchup. Check out more below to see which plays and situations surprised us the most!
On Sunday the Pittsburgh Steelers traveled to face the Los Angeles Rams for their Week 7 matchup at SoFi Stadium.
The Steelers improved to a 4-2 record with a 24-17 victory. Here are some of the surprises from that game.
3 Rushing Touchdowns
Here’s a stat that will sneak up on you quickly: the Steelers scored three rushing touchdowns in their victory over the Rams on Sunday. Those touchdowns were scored by RB Najee Harris, RB Jaylen Warren, and QB Kenny Pickett.
It was the first rushing touchdown for all three players this season – and the only rushing touchdowns the entire team has scored so far in 2023.
That’s right: Pittsburgh, a team previously pegged to be a run-first, smashmouth squad, didn’t have a touchdown scored on the ground through their first five games.
3rd 100-Yard Receiving Game
As abysmal as the offense has been over the last few years, this stat would sneak up on you also. WR George Pickens stacked back-to-back 100-yard receiving games by posting a 5-catch 107-yard performance against LA.
Pickens now has three 100-yard receiving games out of six played in 2023.
Furthermore, the Steelers only had a single 100-yard receiving game last season… which was also George Pickens. (Wow!)
Herbig’s first career sack
The Steelers had a helluva haul in the 2023 NFL Draft and that couldn’t have been on better display than seeing their fifth draft pick get his first sack this season.
Fourth-round rookie Nick Herbig made short work of Rams QB Matthew Stafford following a penalty on the Steelers defense. The six-yard loss occurred on a 1st-and-10 for Los Angeles right at the 50-yard line.
For all of the talk about Broderick Jones, Joey Porter Jr., Keeanu Benton and Darnell Washington, it’s easy to forget about the other Wisconsin linebacker who has waited for his time to shine!
Porter’s Playing Time
The Steelers second-round pick, 32nd overall this year, also had a productive day.
Joey Porter Jr. played his most snaps of any game to date, getting on the field for 78% of the Steelers defensive plays.
His 53 snaps against the Rams were more than the previous two games combined.
Kupp Corralled, Donald Derailed
When you think of the various ways the LA Rams should be able to attack a team, two of their former All-Pros come to mind.
However, on Sunday, the Steelers neutralized WR Cooper Kupp and DT Aaron Donald.
Kupp was held to 2 receptions (on 7 targets) for 29 yards while Donald failed to register a sack or even a solo tackle.
