My Hottest Take: ‘Through the Wire’ is the New Steelers Anthem

Pittsburgh’s depth chart from Week 1 against the Jets is a distant memory, a victim of countless injuries. Rather than throw in the Terrible Towel, the front office has brought in multiple high-impact free agents off the waiver wire to keep the season duct-taped together. Monday night saw a huge interception for newcomer Asante Samuel Jr, who looks to be returning to form after spinal surgery. Marques Valdez-Scantling, whose arrival was overshadowed by the addition of fellow wide receiver Adam Theilen, reconnected with longtime teammate Aaron Rodgers for a third-quarter touchdown. (Note: Allen Lazard, another Rodgers favorite, was released by the Jets this week, which might be something to keep an eye on despite the surplus of receivers on the roster at the moment.)

Mike Tomlin deserves credit for making it easy for newcomers to immediately impact the game, especially on short notice. The culture of the Steelers continues to impress, exceeding short-term expectations even if they haven’t been able to compete for a conference championship as of late.

Need to Know: Former Dolphins Take Revenge

The Steelers and Dolphins completed a trade back in June that brought Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith to Pittsburgh in exchange for returning Minkah Fitzpatrick to Miami, where he began his career. While Fitzpatrick played well in his return to Acrisure Stadium, the Dolphins were haunted all game by Ramsey and Smith, with the latter rushing for a touchdown as a part of Arthur Smith’s madman offensive scheme.

Ramsey, for his part, seemed to take great joy in wreaking havoc on his old team, lighting up Tua Tagovailoa for a sack and denying a two-point conversion attempt that would have given the Dolphins a fighting chance for a comeback attempt. It’s hard to truly quantify what impact this trade has had on Pittsburgh’s season–they’ve certainly missed Fitzpatrick’s consistency at times this year–it was great to see two former Dolphins punish their old team for casting them away.

Before You Go: One Time for Dylan Cook

Few position groups for the Steelers have been as injury prone as their offensive line, as I mentioned last week. Due to starters dropping left and right, players like Dylan Cook have been called upon to move up from the practice squad and step into starting roles without much experience. The former college quarterback turned lineman for FCS Montana, Cook saw his first ever action last week against Baltimore and earned his first career start against Miami.

Cook’s debut action included all 66 offensive snaps and featured a complete shutdown of Dolphins star Bradley Chubb, earning some postgame flowers from Tomlin during the coaches’ media availability. Players like Cook showcase the silver lining of a team like the Steelers; if the team can win with so many players injured, they will continue to grow even more dangerous as players (such as superstar TJ Watt) gradually return from injury, hopefully in time to make some noise in the postseason.