PITTSBURGH — This is what the Steelers envisioned when they brought in Arthur Smith to be their offensive coordinator.

This is what they envisioned when they signed Russell Wilson in free agency.

This is why their offense is starting to operate at a productive and consistent level for the first time in six years.

And this is why they head to a bye week with the division lead and the second-best record in the AFC after eight games.

The Steelers are 6-2 after their 26-18 victory against the New York Giants on Monday night and looking like a team that finally has the offense to complement its defense. That has been evident the past two games with Wilson at quarterback.

He has involved all his receivers, opened up the running game and attacked downfield with some classic Wilson throws that are the stuff of highlight films.

"I think the versatility of our guys, how they get open, how they work, that showed up a lot tonight," Wilson said after the Steelers won their third game in a row. "I thought the running backs did a really good job of running the ball. The offensive line did a great job. That's a really good defensive line that they have. It was a full team effort. That was fun."

It is starting to look that way with Wilson. He threw for 278 yards and a touchdown against the Giants, despite having two touchdowns to George Pickens taken off the board by penalty and booth review.

But his precise passing has been especially evident. His 29-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III and the 43-yard completion to Pickens to set up the last of Chris Boswell's four field goals couldn't have been more perfect if they had a GPS tracking system.

Since replacing Justin Fields as the starter, Wilson has completed 36-of-57 passes for 542 yards and three touchdowns. His passer rating is 111.88. And that's after completing just two of his first eight passes for 19 yards in his debut against the Jets.

"We scored two touchdowns that were beautiful by George and we still overcame it all," Wilson said. "That game would have been really broken out if we had those two. I think we've just got to keep finding those moments that really break out those games."

Granted, it would be easy to dismiss what the Steelers have done the past two games because it came against the New York Jets and Giants, a pair of teams with just two victories.

But the Jets were ranked No. 2 in the league in total defense when they played the Steelers, and the Giants came to Acrisure Stadium with a league-leading 31 sacks.

The Steelers had 409 yards of offense against the Jets and 426 against the Giants — the first time they've had back-to-back 400-yard games since Week 8 of the 2018 season.

What's more, they rushed for 167 yards against the Giants, their second-highest total of the season. The Steelers have rushed for over 100 yards in seven of their first eight games, the first time they have done that since the 2004 season when they had over 100 yards in every game but one.

And they are doing it despite season-ending injuries to rookie tackle Troy Fautanu and guard James Daniels and without center Zach Frazier, who is expected to return after the bye week.

"It was really impressive again considering some of the circumstances," coach Mike Tomlin said. "I can't say enough about guys like [center] Ryan McCollum who are getting an opportunity to step up and put their hand in the pile. We talk too much about guys we don't have in this business. There's always other deserving men on the other end of that conversation who are getting an opportunity. Ryan McCollum is one of those guys."

Wilson's passing has helped open the running game, especially with Najee Harris, who went over 100 yards for the third consecutive game for the first time in his career.

Harris also had another chunk run of 26 yards against the Giants, giving him 14 since the start of the 2023 season. Only Baltimore's Derrick Henry (16) and Detroit's Jahmyr Gibbs (15) have more in that time.

"I'm really proud of our running backs, how hard they ran," Wilson said. "It's good to see Naj doing his thing. He's had several weeks in a row that he's been special running the football. That's a testament to our offensive line and the tight ends, what they're doing, Arthur scheming it up for him."

One of the other benefits with Wilson at quarterback: It is allowing the Steelers to find out if they need a No. 2 receiver before the Nov. 5 trade deadline. In the past two games, Wilson has involved Austin (four catches for 90 yards, one touchdown), Van Jefferson (six for 77 yards, one TD) and even tight end Darnell Washington (five for 65 yards) more in the passing game.

"We got a lot of confidence in our collective," Tomlin said. "They want to prove that they're capable. Oftentimes George [Pickens] gets a lot of attention. That creates opportunities for others. It's their job to deliver. I think some of those plays are an example of guys delivering when given an opportunity."

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