The Steelers were embarking on their fourth Super Bowl title in six years the last time they started a season with four consecutive victories.
Even when they went 15-1 in Ben Roethlisberger’s rookie season in 2004, they started 1-1 before reeling off 14 consecutive victories.
But, here they are, one of eight teams with an unbeaten record after Sunday’s 28-21 victory against the Houston Texans, trying to do something they haven’t done since 1979 — start with a 4-0 record.
“When you’re 3-0, life is a lot better,” Pro Bowl guard David DeCastro said.
And it’s a lot better than last season when the Steelers started 0-3 and spent most of the rest of the year trying to play catchup with two quarterbacks who had never played in an NFL game. But, if nothing else, they have done what good teams do — beat the teams they are supposed to beat.
“Personally, I don’t think there’s a difference to be honest,” left tackle Alejandro Villanueva said. “The culture we establish in this building is to improve personally and hopefully collectively. It’s still early in the season. For us, it’s continuing to see where our baseline is and improve from there because the season is very long, and you want to be playing your best football toward the end.”
This is the first time since 2010 and only the third time since Mike Tomlin became coach in 2007 the Steelers have started 3-0. They get a chance to extend their winning streak on Sunday against the similarly unbeaten Tennessee Titans (3-0), who have won all three games on last-minute field goals by Stephen Gostkowski.
OK, the naysayers want to point out the Steelers have built their 3-0 record against teams who are a combined 0-9. But those same naysayers might also note the Titans have won all three games by a combined six points over teams who are a combined 1-8.
“It’s a good start, that’s all you need,” DeCastro said. “They weren’t perfect or pretty. But 3-0 is huge. I think this can be a really special team.”
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On just the first two carries of his NFL career, rookie Anthony McFarland showed why the Steelers thought enough of him to take him in the fourth round of the NFL draft.
The Steelers were looking for playmakers in the offseason and McFarland showed the potential to be that in his first NFL action.
He gained 7 yards on his first run and 20 yards on his second carry against the Texans, showing the ability to run inside but the speed to get outside. Without any preseason games, the Steelers have been eager to see McFarland in game situations. And he didn’t disappoint.
“He kind of reminds me of DeAngelo Williams — that one-cut, boom, downhill,” DeCastro said, referencing the running back who played two seasons with the Steelers (2015-16). “I’m excited to see him get more touches.”
McFarland was inactive for the first game — that’s when the Steelers were confused about the rule and mistakenly sat an additional player — and dressed but did not play in the victory against the Denver Broncos. But Mike Tomlin thought enough of what he saw from those two carries against the Texans that he started McFarland to begin the second half.
“Even if I got two carries or one carry, I was going to be happy about that,” McFarland said. “I was just trying to seize the opportunity I got. I was excited just to be a part of something and get my feet wet.
“It’s just game one for me. I know lot of guys came up to me and told me I had a good debut, welcome to the NFL. That felt good. But in the back of my mind, I know I got to keep my head down and it’s still one game.”
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Make no mistake, the Steelers have done more than just pressure and sack the quarterback, which they have done a league-high 15 times in three games.
They have also come up with big defensive moments, whether with sacks or takeaways, in the second half of each of their victories.
In the opener against the New York Giants, it was Cam Heyward’s goal line interception that ended a 19-play drive when the score was 16-10. Against the Broncos, it was Terrell Edmunds’ sack of quarterback Jeff Driskel on fourth down that ended their chance for the go-ahead touchdown.
And against the Texans, it was Mike Hilton’s interception that led to the winning touchdown drive with 6:24 remaining.
“We want a stop in those moments,” linebacker Vince Williams said. “It’s our responsibility to do it, and I really feel we can do it better.”
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