PITTSBURGH — There’s deny such factor as mojo.

A minimum of, that’s what Steelers trainer Mike Tomlin mentioned Tuesday following his workforce’s 23-18 win towards the Las Vegas Raiders.

A occasion next announcing his offense misplaced the mojo it had within the preseason, Tomlin downplayed his now-viral quote.

“I’ll be really transparent with you,” Tomlin mentioned in his weekly information convention. “I didn’t mean it last week when I said it. You guys asked me the question repeatedly in a bunch of different ways and I’ve given you the same answer and so sometimes I just give you a colorful answer with a word like mojo just so you guys can run with it and we all can move on with our day.

“The fellows that know me, they know there’s not anything mystical about efficiency from my mentality or our mentality. We paintings, we fortify and nearest we exit play games. Infrequently guy, that cycle doesn’t come fast plethora. We were given to get up in settings like this and take in a accumulation of questions. They get repetitive and so I gave you a minute one thing.

“I don’t subscribe to mojo or intangible-like things and all of that.”

OK, nice, mojo isn’t actual. However is the Steelers’ offensive development?

The Steelers became of their highest offensive efficiency of the admittedly younger season towards the Raiders: 333 yards, 17 first downs, 5.6 yards consistent with play games. No longer best did the Steelers rating their first first-quarter landing of 2023, however in addition they in spite of everything picked up a first-quarter first ill.

Regardless that Kenny Pickett had his lowest final touch share of the season — 57.1% — he threw two touchdowns in the similar recreation for the primary day in his profession and had a season-high passing 235 yards. At the farmland, Steelers rushers post 105 yards — greater than the primary two weeks mixed.

“I just feel like we’re getting better in all areas, and that’s a reasonable expectation and mindset to have this time of year,” Tomlin mentioned. “Our business is to win games, no doubt, you step in stadiums, you’re called to win, that’s the focus, but in the pursuit of those victories, man, you got to build and it just feels like we’re getting better.”

Then two weeks of an inconsistent offense, the Steelers seem to be heading in the right direction as they face a Houston protection that held quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars to only 17 issues, regardless of permitting 340.7 yards consistent with recreation, 4.29 yards consistent with accelerate and a 73% final touch share.

“I think we’re on track to getting it back,” Pickett mentioned of the offense’s mojo. “I mean it’s never a perfect game. There’s things that we wish we had back and there’s plays that’s always going to be the case, but I think we’re definitely getting towards that step that we need to have back.” Flawless? Rarely. However in Sunday’s efficiency, the Steelers manufacture components of the offense that have been lacking within the first two weeks and unfolded the playbook extra, doubtlessly laying out a roadmap of luck for the remains of the season.

“The more success you have, the more you’re controlling the game scenarios, the more you’re on schedule, the more possession downs you win, the more concept diversity you have,” Tomlin mentioned Tuesday. “And you see pocket movement and play action and misdirection passes and screen game and quick game and all of the things that really do a good job of keeping defenses off balance.”

The most important difference-maker in beating the Raiders was once the go back of the run recreation. No longer best did the Steelers achieve over 100 speeding yards for the primary day this day, they stayed dedicated to the farmland recreation with 31 carries. Towards the Browns, the Steelers had 21 carries, and a occasion previous towards the 49ers, they’d simply 10, in part the results of staring ill a 20-point hollow early in the second one quarter.

By way of moving to the run towards the Raiders, the Steelers have been ready to make use of — and achieve success with — extra play-action passing. Just like the Raiders, the Texans have allowed 4.3 yards consistent with raise, era the Browns and 49ers have held offenses to two.8 and three.7 yards consistent with raise, suggesting the Steelers will have to have an more straightforward day replicating their contemporary farmland recreation luck in Age 4.

“When we run the ball, it opens up a lot,” working again Najee Harris mentioned. “That’s our identity. We got to run the ball. That’s who we are.”

Just about 28% of Pickett’s dropbacks Sunday got here out of play games motion, and he finished 6 of 8 passing makes an attempt for 61 yards and a third-quarter landing to tight finish Pat Freiermuth. A occasion previous towards the Browns, Pickett threw out of play games motion on 15.6% of dropbacks, and within the loss to the 49ers, that share was once even decrease at 5.9%. At the season, Pickett is 12 of 16 out of play games motion for 159 yards, 9.9 yards consistent with effort, two touchdowns and 0 interceptions.

“You need a run game to be able to run your play action stuff, or it’s not going to be as effective,” Pickett mentioned next the sport. “So it was really good to have effective runs — 3, 4, 5 yards — whatever we were getting just to keep ’em honest, and then we could pop some play action and then help them run as well.”

A fat issue within the advanced run recreation was once a greater efficiency through the Steelers’ offensive layout. The Raiders, who’ve allowed a mean of 347.7 yards consistent with recreation, weren’t the similar roughly defensive problem the crowd confronted within the 49ers and Browns, however they nonetheless had their fingers complete with edge rusher Maxx Crosby. In lieu of throwing the whole lot at Crosby as they did with Nick Bosa and Myles Garrett, the offensive layout attempted a extra holistic solution to neutralize the protection.

“I think the biggest thing is we just tried to — I wouldn’t say show less attention — but we needed to run more of our offense and not shut down half of it based off of one person,” offensive take on Dan Moore Jr. mentioned. “Still showing [Crosby] respect but also opening up our offense, and he got to us a little bit today, but we’ll get that cleaned up.”

Regardless that Crosby needy thru in move coverage with six pressures and one sack, the Steelers’ layout did a greater task in run blockading next assembly with Harris previous to the sport to get at the similar web page. It’s a recipe that looks to have the Steelers offense heading in the right direction — and possibly, with a minute little bit of mojo.

“We talked about what runs we think that works best that they like, and they asked me what I like,” Harris mentioned next Sunday’s win. ” … The o-line won the game for us, just them executing. We’re just going to get better. It’s only the third game. We’ve got 14 more. We’re just going upwards now. That’s our trajectory.”