PITTSBURGH — When Omar Khan took over as general manager of the Steelers in the summer of 2023, he had a grand vision for how he wanted to build the roster back into a playoff contender. He wanted to build through the trenches and has followed through on his goal by drafting offensive and defensive linemen in the top rounds of the draft in each of his first three years as GM.

Khan has drafted five offensive linemen, including three in the first two rounds, and all of them are starters or major contributors. He has selected three defensive linemen. Derrick Harmon, this year's No. 1 pick, has been as advertised as a force on the interior, and fifth-round pick Yahya Black has shown flashes of strong play as well.

It has taken a while for the vision to take shape, but the Steelers finally are playing the kind of football that's needed to not only compete for a postseason berth, but have success once they get there.

"Coach [Mike Tomlin] has been very clear on what we need to do to win games, especially in December and January football," receiver Adam Thielen said. "To be a playoff-caliber team, you better be able to run the football and be able to stop the run. That's no secret to any team. To be able to do it the past couple of weeks, it's definitely the right time to do it."

The Steelers are coming off a 29-24 victory against Detroit, which boasts the league's No. 1 offense. The Steelers outrushed the Lions, 230-15. In the previous game against Miami, the Steelers owned the trenches, outrushing the Dolphins, 135-63.

"If you want to win games, you have to make teams one-dimensional," defensive lineman Cam Heyward said. "It's guys getting healthy at the right time, other guys stepping up in those moments. It's a collective belief now."

How one-dimensional were the Lions Sunday? They attempted 54 passes and only 12 running plays. In the second half they only ran the ball once and threw it 34 times.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff ended up throwing for 364 yards and almost led a late comeback, but defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said from a tactical perspective the second half unfolded exactly the way any coach would want.

The only thing the Steelers didn't do was catch the ball when Goff made mistakes.

Safety Chuck Clark had several opportunities for interceptions and dropped all of them. Had Clark caught one of those, the game would have been decided much earlier.

"You'd much rather than be one-dimensional and have that one dimension be the pass because there is more error," Austin said. "When they're passing and the ball is in the air a lot of things can happen. When they're running the ball and controlling the game, that's not a good feeling.

"We had our opportunities. I think we probably dropped three interceptions in the second half that could have changed the game. That's really what we work on. Those opportunities are there, but we have to take advantage of them. That changes the game."

Supporting Metcalf

While DK Metcalf is serving his two-game suspension he cannot be around the team — not in the locker room, not in meetings, not even in the parking lot.

That's something Heyward, the team's union representative, would like to change in the next collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association.

"One thing I don't understand in these situations is when a guy gets suspended, we keep him out of the locker room," Heyward said. "We keep them out of the facility. I know DK is in a much better situation, but there are plenty of guys who get lost in those situations. This is a family. This is a team. When you rip somebody from that and say, 'Hey you're suspended without pay. What are we really saying?' We're putting those guys at a disadvantage."

Heyward was not on the call for Metcalf's appeals hearing, but he did indicate someone from the NFLPA did sit in on the proceedings.

Metcalf cannot return to the team until Jan. 5, the day after the Steelers and Baltimore Ravens play the final game of the regular season at Acrisure Stadium.

In the meantime, Heyward said he and other players can do their part to keep Metcalf involved.

"Keep talking to him, acting like he's still here," Heyward said. "Ask what he needs. Wish him a Merry Christmas. Keep his presence still a part of this locker room."

© 2025 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Visit www.post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.