Nov 2, 2024 6 min read

By Dale Lolley

For the Observer-Reporter

newsroom@observer-reporter.com

I had the chance to catch up with NFL commissioner and 1981 Washington & Jefferson College graduate Roger Goodell last Monday night as he attended the Steelers’ 26-18 win over the New York Giants.

For Goodell, attending a Steelers game takes him back to his college days at W&J.

“My first Steelers game, I was a student at W&J, and one of my friends was a huge Steelers fan,” said Goodell. “I was a Washington fan at the time, and they brought me here, and I think the score was like 48-0 at the end of the first quarter. So the Steeler fans were having a good time with me as I’m sitting there. But the reality is, it was hard not to be impacted by the power of this franchise and why it means so much and reflects formal values of this community, the way the Steelers and the Rooneys are so careful about that. To me, there’s nothing else like that.”

That’s one of the many reasons Goodell can’t wait to show off Pittsburgh to the world when the city hosts the NFL Draft in 2026.

Millions of people around the world tune into the draft, which will be held in the area outside Acrisure Stadium next to Stage AE.

“There will be an obvious economic impact, which is extraordinarily significant,” Goodell said. “The latest estimates are well over $200 million. I always say the value of that is another chance to show off all the great things that are happening in this community, the work that’s going on with the governor and the county and the city.

“We hope to be able to highlight the impact of that and what’s happening in our communities. I think the money generated from the draft will go back into the community, but I also believe the money generated by the Steelers here goes back into this community, which is unique to our model professional support. That money is created in some way, other markets and brought into this community, and I think that’s where the true economic impact happens. But as I say, the platform of the draft is more important than the context. The number of people watching will be 50 million on a global basis. That’s a chance to show off this community.”

• The Steelers head into their bye week at 6-2 and in first place in the AFC North, knowing that no matter what happens this weekend, they’ll be back to play in Week 10 while still in first place.

They’ve done so with their backup quarterback starting six games and with five different starting combinations on an offensive line that had four different players make their first career start. They’ve gotten to 6-2 despite Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig, two of their top three linebackers, missing three games each. Running back Jaylen Warren, who had over 1,000 yards from scrimmage last season, also missed three games.

Fifteen different players have gone on injured reserve since the start of the season, but even that hasn’t slowed the Steelers. Their two losses have come by three points each, while only three teams have a better point differential than the plus-68 the Steelers have posted.

Has it been perfect? No.

The Steelers allowed a season-worst 157 rushing yards to the Giants in a 26-18 victory that should have been much easier considering they rolled up a season-high 426 yards themselves. But going 0-for-4 in the red zone made what should have been a dominant effort less so.

Still, the Steelers have a lot of things breaking their way.

And at the center of it all has been head coach Mike Tomlin.

Tomlin won’t win NFL Coach of the Year this season, even if the Steelers continue on their current pace and win 11 or 12 games. But he should.

Remember, this was a team that, when the odds came out, had a win total of 7.5, among the lowest in the NFL. This was supposed to be Tomlin’s first losing season in 18 seasons as a head coach. The Steelers were supposed to be in line for a top-10 pick in the draft.

Halfway through the season, those things look like they most certainly aren’t going to happen.

More importantly, Tomlin has pushed the right buttons with this team. He took a lot of heat a few weeks ago for going with Russell Wilson at quarterback over Justin Fields, who went 4-2 as the starter while Wilson healed from a calf injury.

The second-half schedule is difficult. But in what has proven to be a watered-down AFC, the Steelers have shown themselves to be a quality team.

Tomlin deserves plenty of credit.

This week’s games

Broncos (plus 9) at Ravens: Denver’s defense has been one of the best in the NFL over the first half of the season. Baltimore’s? Not so much. But the Ravens do have the league’s best offense, which helps make up for that. Denver rookie quarterback Bo Nix has played well in recent weeks, but can he match Lamar Jackson? Probably not. Take the Ravens, 27-17.

Raiders (plus 7) at Bengals: The Bengals are 3-5, but the winning percentage of the teams they’ve beaten is a pathetic .208. They beat bad teams and lose to good ones. At 2-6, the Raiders are a bad team. Take the Bengals, 26-16.

Chargers (minus 1½) at Browns: Yes, the Browns looked better offensively last week with Jameis Winston at QB instead of Deshaun Watson, but who didn’t think that would be the case? What was a little different was that the defense looked better in an upset win over the Ravens. The Chargers can match the Browns defensively. The Chargers are another team that beats up on bad teams. The teams they’ve beaten have a .313 winning percentage. Take the Browns, 21-17.

Cowboys (plus 3) at Falcons: The Cowboys lost a big game Sunday night in San Francisco and go on the road against a good Atlanta team. Micah Parsons is still out for Dallas, leaving the defense toothless. That won’t be good against a talented Atlanta offense. Take the Falcons, 30-23.

Lions (plus 3½) at Packers: Lions quarterback Jared Goff is playing at an MVP level. Green Bay’s Jordan Love was forced out of last week’s game with a groin injury. The Lions look like the class of the NFC. Take Detroit, 27-23.

Last week: 2-3 ATS, 3-2 straight up

Overall: 22-18 ATS; 26-14 straight up

Dale Lolley hosts The Drive on Steelers Nation Radio and writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter.