Stats Of The Weird: 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers Preview

As is annual tradition, we love our Pittsburgh Steelers “stats of the weird.” The quirky and funky numbers that we track each week and after every game. As we’ve done in years past, a preview of some of the “weird” that sits on Pittsburgh’s docket to watch for throughout the year.

– When Russell Wilson starts Week 1, it’ll mark the first time Pittsburgh’s started four different quarterbacks in four straight years since 1982-1985 when it rolled through Terry Bradshaw, Cliff Stoudt, David Woodley, and Mark Malone.

– If Russell Wilson is sacked 39 times this season, he’ll become the NFL’s most-sacked QB in history, passing Tom Brady (who passed Ben Roethlisberger for the “top” spot). Wilson has been dropped 527 times, Brady 565.

– With 1,113 yards rushing this season, RB Najee Harris will pass John Henry Johnson and move into fifth place on the Steelers’ all-time rushing yards list. From there, he’ll only trail Franco Harris, Jerome Bettis, Willie Parker, and Le’Veon Bell.

– Should Harris simply eclipse 1,000 yards rushing this year, he’ll become just the 14th player in NFL history to rush for 1,000-plus yards in each of his first four seasons. And the first to do it since Chris Johnson in 2011. Other notable names to achieve the feat include Adrian Peterson, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Tony Dorsett.

– Though the odds feel long, if George Pickens leads the NFL in yards per catch again in 2024, he’ll be the first Steeler to ever do it in consecutive years. The last player to do it was the Los Angeles Rams’ Flipper Anderson in 1989-1990.

– With 15 sacks, T.J. Watt will have the second-most sacks of any player in the official era (1982-present) in NFL history through his first eight years. That’ll give him 111.5, passing DeMarcus Ware and only slotting him behind Reggie White’s 124. Deacon Jones holds the unofficial record with 128.

– As we noted earlier in the offseason, Watt needs 3.5 sacks over his first eight games to be the second-fastest player to 100 sacks in official history, staying ahead of Ware (113) and only behind White (96). As a reminder, if there’s a sack stat, White probably leads it. Big brother J.J. did it in 120 games. By the way, T.J. needs 18.5 sacks to beat J.J.’s career mark.

– Cam Heyward’s next sack will break a second-place tie with James Harrison for most in Steelers’ history. Both sit at 80.5.

– If Heyward can reach double-digit sacks, he’ll be the first defensive tackle age 35 or older to do so since Hall of Famer Steve McMichael in 1992.

– A mark he missed out on last year, Heyward needs to appear in six games to become the sixth member of the Steelers’ “200 club,” players to appear in 200 games for the team. The others? Ben Roethlisberger (249), Mike Webster (220), WR Hines Ward (217), S Donnie Shell (201), and CB Mel Blount (200).

– A reminder of a point I’ve stated throughout the year. Cameron Johnston needs to average 47.1 yards per punt to set a single-season Steelers record for gross average. Bobby Joe Green is the current record holder at 47.0 in 1961.

– Kicker Chris Boswell needs to convert 18 extra points to pass Roy Gerela for third-most XPs in Steelers’ history. If he finishes with 32, he’ll overtake Jeff Reed for second place with only Gary Anderson’s 416 in front of him. Boswell made 27 extra points last season. His career-high is 43 in 2018.

– If Cordarrelle Patterson, or any Steeler, returns a kick for a touchdown this season, it’ll be Pittsburgh’s first since the 2017 regular-season finale when JuJu Smith-Schuster ran one back against the Cleveland Browns.

– If Pittsburgh fails to win the AFC North, it’ll be its fourth-straight year without a division crown. That’ll be the team’s longest drought since a seven-year stretch from 1985-1991.

– Should Pittsburgh finish ranked in the 20s in scoring offense, it’ll be the first time in franchise history that’s happened four years running. Over the last three years, the Steelers have ranked 21st, 26th, and 28th in points per game.

In fairness, there were long periods where the NFL had far fewer teams but still, there have been at least 30 teams in the league for nearly 30 years.

– Given Pittsburgh’s tough-looking end to its schedule, a fast start is preferred (of course, a fast start is always preferred no matter the end). If the Steelers can go above .500 their first four games, it’ll be the first time since 2020 when they began the year 11-0 and only the second time since 2018.

– A 13-win season for Mike Tomlin would tie him for the 10th-most victories in NFL regular-season history. It would match the 186 won by Chuck Knox throughout his stints with the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, and Seattle Seahawks (where he once coached LB and former Tomlin DC Keith Butler).

– A fun, quirky one. Once Miles Killebrew steps onto the field in Atlanta Sunday, he’ll have officially begun his ninth season in the NFL. That will set a record for most NFL seasons by a player from Southern Utah in that school’s history, breaking a tie with DB Len Walterscheid, who played eight seasons in the NFL from 1977-1984. Killebrew entered the league in 2016.