PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are finally trending in the right direction in more ways than one. The team won their fifth game of the season, taking down the New Orleans Saints in an international contest.

Now, the Steelers turn their focus to the Cleveland Browns in Week 8. The goal is to capture their sixth victory and even the season series against the Browns.

In that Week 8 contest, the Steelers will play a bit shorthanded. With multiple key players on the Injured Reserve, the team will have to dig deep to find that win. Thankfully, the team is improving week after week, and the schedule is only helping this team navigate their early-season injury troubles.

Escaping France With No Scares

The Steelers had plenty of injury scares heading to Paris, France, for their Week 7 battle. A day before their flight departed, edge rusher T.J. Watt popped up on the team's injury report with a calf ailment. He was just the latest of multiple players dealing with various ailments of different severities.

Thakfully, those scares didn't continue after the game. Watt made it through unscathed, as did the rest of the lineup. Head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed in his weekly press conference that there were no other major injuries coming out of their international meeting.

The team also had one of their most positive injury developments in Week 7. Safety DeShon Elliott returned after almost a year due to a lower-body injury. He played in a limited number of snaps, but it was huge to get the star safety back in any capacity.

It was exactly what the Steelers needed.

Time on Steelers' Side

The good news for the Steelers is that the schedule has been on their side. Over the past few weeks, the regular season schedule has been quite favorable for Pittsburgh. Taking on opponents like the Indianapolis Colts, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints, a trio of inferior competition allowed the Steelers to easily weather the storm of injuries.

Following this Week 8 game, the Steelers will walk into their bye week. It comes at a sorely needed time, with players like wide receiver Roman Wilson and defensive tackle Derrick Harmon nearing the end of the four required games missed on IR.

Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. may also return this season, but reports from Pat McAfee Show corospondent Mark Kaboly say there's a chance Pittman Jr. misses the rest of the year.

For head coach Mike McCarthy, things are finally coming together. In his mind, the roster is in great shape. As they wait for a few pieces to return, McCarthy is confident that their mix of players gives the Steelers what they need for a run in 2026.

"We've got the right guys," he said during his weekly press conference. "We've got a really great mix of veterans and young guys, and you're just seeing it come together."

And it's all coming together without critical pieces like Wilson and Harmon. Add in veterans Michael Pittman Jr. and Sebastian Joseph-Day and their unknown return timelines, and this team is trending in the right direction health-wise at the perfect time.