Steelers Are Contenders, Not Trash Talkers

Nov 1, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (30) reacts after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter of an NFL game against the Cleveland Browns at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Steelers Are Contenders, Not Trash Talkers

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Noah Strackbein | Last updated Nov 1, 2026 6:30 PM ET

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The Pittsburgh Steelers are 6-2 heading into the bye week. They just beat a Cleveland Browns team that brought plenty of attention with them because of their AFC North-leading record and trash talk heading into the game. And leaving Acrisure Stadium for the last time until Black Friday, this team is as "real" and they could be.

"He should have kept his mouth shut," Jaquan Brisker said after the game about Jared Verse's trash talk. "All that talk, and then to come out with zero tackles, that’s bad."

That was as bad as it got for the Steelers in response to Verse after the game. For those who missed it, Verse said the Browns would "own" Pittsburgh in this game. He didn't, and neither did the Browns, but the Steelers didn't really care.

For the most part, this team made it simple. "Some talk, some walk," Jaylen Warren summed it up.

That was the vibe in the locker room afterward. This team wasn't focused on revenge or shutting Verse up. They felt more disrespected that Cleveland elected to receive the ball to start the game.

Pittsburgh is focused on the big picture more than the little one. They wanted to win four in a row heading into the bye week and accomplished it. They were determined to get their defense clicking to become the dominant group they could be, and to figure out their offensive line before the midway point of the season.

Check and check.

"We're 6-2 going into the bye, first in the division. We're right where we want to be," Aaron Rodgers said after the game.

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's been a long time since the Steelers felt like a real contender. There have been moments and glimpses of great play, but overall, it's felt largely like Mike Tomlin was carrying them as far as he could drag them, ultimately to be eliminated from the postseason early.

This year, making the postseason isn't the goal. This team doesn't want to "get to the dance"; they want to win it. They want to be serious contenders.

And they might be.

"We didn't discuss it one second, what they were saying about us," T.J. Watt said about the Browns. "We just want to go about business. We have a lot of mature guys who have done it here and done it other places and had a lot of success and a lot of young guys who want to continue to grow and be great. We're just focused about what's in the building right now."

Inside the building, the Steelers have a defense that ranks top 10 in points allowed and takeaways. The team has scored over 20 points in all but one game, and is currently at the top of the division with a chance to increase that lead after the bye against the Cincinnati Bengals.

It's about Super Bowls, not trash talk in Pittsburgh.

A mindset that makes them feel bigger than their opponent. And like a real contender at the break.

"We were motivated because we wanted to get this damn win before we got to the bye," Heyward put it,"so...

"Bigger fish to fry."

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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