The Pittsburgh Steelers are now heading into Week 9 of the 2020 NFL season against the Dallas Cowboys. They were originally scheduled to have their bye in Week 8 but the previous COVID-19 outbreak in the Tennessee Titans camp forced them to have an earlier bye in Week 4 instead.

Certain circumstances beyond their control prompted them to potentially finish the regular season playing 13 consecutive games before heading to the playoffs. To ensure that his veteran-laden roster remains fresh, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has been holding ‘hats’ practices, meaning no pads and helmets for the players.

Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt expressed that he brings his usual energy to the field even on those days with ‘hats’ practices:

“It definitely isn’t completely rare. It happens from time to time”, he told reporters. “It’s all the head coach’s decision. I’m a guy that just shows up and does whatever I’m told. It doesn’t really change a lot for me, personally. If anything, I’m just trying to watch more and more film, and you take those ‘hats’ practices even more seriously than you would a walkthrough, because you know you’re not going to get the opportunity to go full speed”.

On the other hand, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hoped to still maximize the ‘hats’ day to continue on getting better on the gridiron:

“There’s definitely a balance that you have to figure out. When you have guys that need an extra day to get ready, it makes more sense to almost got on a ‘hats’ day and go through walkthrough and just learn as much as you can in the film room, and then apply it to the practice field, so we can get quicker as the week’s gone”.

For Tomlin, it was his way of keeping his guys refreshed while still being able to get work done to prepare for their upcoming opponents. The Steelers are looking to extend their win-streak to eight games against the Cowboys and remain in sole possession of the top spot in the stacked AFC North division. A win in Week 9 will give them their longest winning streak to open a season in franchise history.