The Steelers are 7-0 for just the second time in franchise history. The other time, in 1978, they finished 14-2 and won the Super Bowl. But coach Mike Tomlin isn’t overly impressed with his team’s record.
“It’s good today, but it means nothing for tomorrow,” Tomlin said Sunday.
But the Steelers are the NFL’s lone unbeaten team after fending off the Ravens, 28-24. And there is a lot to like about this team, between impressive wins on the road, a good formula on the field, and a less-than-daunting schedule. The ’72 Dolphins may have to keep that champagne on ice for a while.
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The Steelers' ascension to the top of the AFC is where we start the Week 8 review:
▪ The Steelers aren’t just 7-0 and sitting in the No. 1 seed. They made a statement the past two weeks by winning road games against two of the AFC’s best, Tennessee and Baltimore. They pulled out close wins both times, and overcame a 10-point halftime deficit against the Ravens.
There’s a lot to like about the Steelers. Tomlin is a battle-tested coach who is on the verge of his ninth playoff berth in 14 seasons. They have an opportunistic defense that is sixth in points allowed and second in turnovers.
And Ben Roethlisberger is playing like a new quarterback in his return from an elbow injury. His yards per game (232) and yards per attempt (6.6) are way down compared with his career numbers, yet his completion percentage (67.9) is way up, his passer rating (99.8) is his best since 2014, and he has 15 touchdown passes against just four interceptions.
The schedule is also favorable. The Steelers could be 10-0 in no time with upcoming games at Dallas, vs. Cincinnati, and at Jacksonville. Their toughest games left are at Buffalo and Cleveland, and vs. Baltimore and Indianapolis.
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The Steelers probably will be favored in every game. And the ’72 Dolphins might start getting nervous soon.
▪ Speaking of the Dolphins, they debuted first-round quarterback Tua Tagovailoa Sunday. They cruised over the Rams, 28-17, to improve to 4-3, but it wasn’t exactly the most inspiring offensive performance. They held the ball for only 23:31, and none of their 14 drives lasted more than six plays or 33 yards. Tagovailoa completed 12 of 22 passes for 93 yards, with a touchdown pass and a fumble lost.
The Dolphins didn’t need Tagovailoa to do much; they scored touchdowns on a 78-yard fumble return and an 88-yard punt return, and had a fumble return to the 1-yard line. They were outgained, 471 yards to 145 — a 326-yard difference that was the sixth-largest in NFL history by a winning team.
If the Dolphins want to get Tagovailoa experience and develop him for the future, that’s certainly fine. But don’t tell me that he is a better option right at this moment than Ryan Fitzpatrick. The offense clearly was simplified for Tagovailoa Sunday, and they can’t count on defensive/return touchdowns.
The Dolphins are 4-3 and in prime position for the playoffs. What happens if they start losing games because of poor QB play? A lot of Dolphins players are going to wonder why the best quarterback isn’t playing. Despite the win, this QB switch has the potential to backfire.
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▪ Titans coach Mike Vrabel, hailed as a genius in these parts two weeks ago, needs to shore up his defense if he wants his team to be a Super Bowl contender. Losing to the Steelers last week is one thing, but losing, 31-20, to Cincinnati Sunday is unacceptable.
The Bengals, playing without four starters on the offensive line, held the ball for 35:57, converted 10 of 15 third-down opportunities, and went 4 for 5 in the red zone.
The Titans are 18th in scoring defense (26.3 points per game) and have the worst third-down defense in the NFL (61.9 percent). They probably can get some of their mojo back next week when they host the Bears and their putrid offense.
▪ The 3-4-1 Eagles probably will win the NFC East by default, but Carson Wentz should be ashamed for not winning by 50 against the Cowboys, who entered the game with an undrafted rookie QB and the league’s worst defense.
In a 23-9 win, Wentz threw for just 123 yards and turned the ball over four times (two interceptions and two fumbles), continuing a trend of sloppy ball security and head-scratching decisions.
Wentz leads the NFL with 16 turnovers — league highs in interceptions (12) and fumbles lost (four) — with Kirk Cousins and Daniel Jones next with 11. He is 31st in completion percentage (58.4), 29th in yards per attempt (6.17), and makes two or three decisions each game that make you want to throw a shoe at the television.
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Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie must be having buyer’s remorse over the six-year, $155 million contract he gave to Wentz in June 2019. The Eagles probably are stuck with Wentz through at least 2021, possibly 2022. Many fans are ready to move on now.
▪ Aaron Rodgers is having an incredible season with 20 touchdown passes and only two interceptions, but the Packers don’t have a defense to match. They gave up long touchdown drives to the Vikings in their first four possessions of a 28-22 loss. And the Packers have forced just one turnover in their last four games.
▪ Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson threw two picks in the loss to the Steelers, continuing a downward trend in his passing stats. His completion percentage is down 5.5 points from last year, he has almost matched last year’s interception total (four to six), and his passer rating has dropped from 113.3 to 94.3, ranked 20th.
A regression for last year’s MVP was to be expected, but defenses may be starting to make Jackson more one-dimensional.
▪ Funny, no one is saying this week that Baker Mayfield is better off without Odell Beckham, who tore an ACL last week. Mayfield completed just 12 of 25 passes for 122 yards and no touchdowns in the Browns' 16-6 loss to the Raiders. It was Mayfield’s first game without a touchdown pass all season.
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Tracking ex-Patriots
▪ 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo: Threw for just 84 yards and an interception before reinjuring his ankle in a loss to the Seahawks.
▪ Lions DT Danny Shelton: Had five tackles, a sack, and two quarterback hits in a loss to the Colts. The Patriots miss him anchoring their run defense.
▪ Jets WR Braxton Berrios: Had eight catches for 34 yards in a loss to the Chiefs. The 4.25 yards per catch are the sixth-lowest in NFL history by a wide receiver with at least eight catches.
▪ Raiders RT Trent Brown: Had a scary pregame incident in which an IV left him with air in the bloodstream, forcing him to be hospitalized (he is expected to be OK). Brown has played in only 13 of a possible 23 games since signing with the Raiders.
Ex-Patriots coaches
▪ Brian Flores, Miam: His team has won four of five and his defense is No. 1 in points allowed (18.6 per game).
▪ Mike Vrabel, Tennessee: Suddenly under fire for not naming a replacement for defensive coordinator Dean Pees, who retired in January. “I’m positive that’s not a factor,” he said.
▪ Matt Patricia, Detroit: Took a major step back with a 41-21 home loss to the Colts. Sitting 10th in the NFC at 3-4.
Stats of the Week
▪ Tomlin improved to 140-74-1 in the regular season, surpassing Tony Dungy as the winningest Black head coach in NFL history.
▪ The Patriots are 6-10 in their last 16 games (including playoffs).
▪ The Cowboys forced more turnovers against Wentz (four) than they had forced in their previous seven games combined (three).
▪ The Rams' last two visits to Miami: In 2012, outgained the Dolphins, 462-192 (270 yards), in a 17-14 loss to a rookie quarterback (Ryan Tannehill). In 2020, outgained the Dolphins, 471-145 (326 yards), in a 28-17 loss to a rookie quarterback (Tagovailoa).
▪ The Saints have not allowed an individual 100-yard rusher in 45 consecutive games.
▪ The Ravens have scored at least 20 points in 30 consecutive games, tied with the 2012-14 Broncos for the longest streak in NFL history.
▪ The Raiders held an opponent under 10 points for the first time in 117 games.
▪ Seattle QB Russell Wilson has 26 touchdown passes through seven games, second-most in NFL history behind Tom Brady in 2007 (27).
Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @BenVolin.
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