Mark Madden: Credit T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick for Steelers' win in L.A.

When you’ve got a lot of sidebars, combine them into a dazzling edition of refreshing Steelers notes. Beautiful like the fall foliage!

• T.J. Watt won the Cleveland game and won Sunday’s game at Los Angeles. He’s directly responsible for two of the Steelers’ four wins. Watt got no sacks against the Rams. But his interception on the first play of the second half seized momentum and jump-started a Steelers offense that was dormant to that point by giving it a short field at Los Angeles’ 7-yard line. Watt does more to get the Steelers points than lots of guys on the offensive side of the ball.

• Minkah Fitzpatrick sometimes tries to do too much in the middle of that overrated Steelers defense. But at Los Angeles, Fitzpatrick was here, there and everywhere. He made 11 tackles, six solo. Fitzpatrick overextended himself, and it worked.

• They say the numbers don’t lie. The Steelers have been outgained in every game and by a total of 660 yards. Their point differential is minus-24. So either those numbers are telling porky pies or the Steelers’ 4-2 record is.

• Same applies to Kenny Pickett and the offense. Pickett was 7 of 7 for 138 yards in Sunday’s fourth quarter. But in 14 first-quarter possessions, the Steelers have gone three-and-out 10 times.

Related:

• Madden Monday: With win, maybe Steelers 'can fool us a bit longer — and fool themselves'
• First Call: Rams coach reacts to controversial spot; Steelers home underdogs vs. Jaguars
• Feats of Strength/Airing of Grievances: Diontae Johnson's return, T.J. Watt's splash key Steelers' 2nd-half surge in L.A.
• Steelers vs. Rams: What they're saying in Los Angeles after loss

• The usual suspects are citing that fourth quarter as a turning point for Pickett, assigning him the “it” factor and/or the “clutch” factor. We’ve heard that before. Sunday is just the third time in 19 games that Pickett’s passer rating has topped 90. He’s eclipsed 300 yards once. He’s thrown two touchdowns twice. The jury is still out on Pickett.

• Pickett didn’t make it on that fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter. Bad spot. But the Rams couldn’t challenge. First down, victory formation, game over. So Steelers fans … don’t complain about calls for a while.

• Do you still want to fire Matt Canada? He’s 4-2, too. His play-calling in the fourth quarter had rhythm and was impeccable. Pickett changed all the plays, right?

• Rams superstar defensive lineman Aaron Donald was quiet. No sacks, four assists on tackles. The interior of the offensive line did a good job, and Pickett made sensible decisions when Donald was in proximity.

• George Pickens and Diontae Johnson had good games. But Pickens took two 15-yard penalties, Johnson one. Each drew a flag for taunting. There’s no excuse and no discipline applied that would counter. They behaved like 10-year-olds.

• If you look closely, the jury is still out on Pickens, too. He makes great catches. His agility and athleticism are amazing. But he’s petulant, as the flags mentioned confirm, and he absolutely chickened out of a catch. He can iron out some wrinkles.

• Once Johnson wasn’t in the lineup, his value was easy to realize in his absence. When he returned Sunday, he opened the field up for everybody.

• Najee Harris has played running back since he was a kid and still doesn’t know how to do it. Witness the first-quarter play on second-and-4 when staying inside gets Harris close to the sticks. Instead, he inexplicably bounces it outside and loses 5 yards. Harris’ lack of acumen at the position is mind-boggling.

• Jaylen Warren had some impressive runs, especially late. But Harris, for all his failings, had better stats. Does Warren have the “it” factor, or the “clutch” factor? (Note to editor: Please use sarcasm font for that last sentence.)

• A now-healthy Dan Moore Jr. was back in at left tackle, replacing rookie first-rounder Broderick Jones. Moore played passably but so did Jones against Baltimore in the prior game. That’s Jones’ progress interrupted.

• The Steelers aren’t a good team. But in today’s meh NFL, there are only four or five legitimately good teams. You don’t have to be elite to succeed. Hope springs eternal.