This offense has uncovered real -- and long-sought -- balance of late

Mason Rudolph has guided the Steelers' offense to a level of balance and production that had been desired weekly but achieved rarely. 

Over the past two weeks, it's been at its best with the team's postseason hopes hanging by a thread.

"They feed off of each other," interim offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner said Wednesday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "If you're forcing teams into 1-high (safety look) you get an opportunity -- because you're running the ball well -- you get an opportunity to take shots with our receivers. If the receivers are getting down the field and making plays and they decide they want to go to 2-high types of looks and shells then you've got an opportunity to run it. It's kind of what you envisioned in terms of being a balanced team. Having the ability to do what it is you want to do based on the looks the defense provides.

"We've been consistently running the ball pretty good, you know what I mean? And when you do that, you're controlling the game and it gives you liberties to call what you want to. We continue to do that, we'll continue to be balanced."

The word "execution" had become used so often by the Steelers' players and coaches that it became akin to cliche -- especially during the Matt Canada era. But, in terms of what Faulkner is referring to, this is exactly what the execution brings. 

"Isaac talks about it: Execution fuels emotions," Mason Cole told me. "And these last two weeks have been so much fun because we've been playing well and we've been having a lot of success. It's obviously a huge task this week to keep it going."

The Steelers rushed for 202 yards Sunday in Seattle, in addition to producing a season-high 46 rushing plays. There also were season highs in overall offensive plays (71) and total yards (468), as Rudolph backed his ground game up with 266 passing yards on 24 attempts and 18 completions. His efficiency, as Faulkner alluded to, worked hand-in-hand with Najee Harris' 122 rushing yards and two touchdowns and Jaylen Warren's 75 yards and his added touchdown.

"Everybody's just straining and doing their part, 100 percent effort," Warren said. "Everybody's coming together, realizing that's what you need to win. ... Everybody's just bought into the process. Everybody's bought into winning."

With that comfortability comes confidence. This offense has posted 64 total points and an average of 432.5 yards of offense in the wins over the Bengals and Seahawks. It has done so while Rudolph has completed 35 of 51 passes (68.6%) for 564 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 118.42 rating while being sacked just once.

"It just gives him comfortability out there knowing that we can do those things," Diontae Johnson said. "He knows who he has out there that he can trust to make those plays and we continue to put that on film. We're just going to continue to rally around him and help him get prepared for this week. That's all there really is to it."

And that confidence was doubled down on by Mike Tomlin in the closing minutes of Sunday's game. NFL Films caught a mic'd up portion of Tomlin expressing an eagerness to remain aggressive by throwing the ball deep in a situation where any team would typically run it. The result was a 24-yard completion to George Pickens that placed the Steelers on the Seahawks' 20-yard line, effectively icing the win for the Steelers.

"I think it's awesome when you have a head coach that willing to -- like he always says -- not live in your fears and just lets you go play and call it like you see fit," Faulkner said. "In that particular play we had been running in 13 personnel and you get out there and everybody in the stadium thinks you're about to run it and then you throw it and George gets a big gainer. Those are the calculated risks that you take and that one worked out for us."

With Rudolph under center, those "calculated risks" have paid off more often than not. 

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Rudolph averaged 8.1 air yards per completion and 8.0 air yards per attempt against the Seahawks. Kenny Pickett has averaged 4.9 air yards per completion and 7.1 air yards per attempt this season.

"It's chess. This is chess," Najee Harris said. "People think that you're going to do something on obvious downs and you're throwing the deep shot for the money ball, and that's just part of football. You're playing chess. You always want to be ahead, you always want to think two steps ahead of people, and that's one of the situations. You always want to be aggressive."