Steelers vs. Ravens: Can the season be salvaged?

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PITTSBURGH, PA – OCTOBER 06: James Conner #30 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates after rushing for a 1-yard touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens on October 6, 2019, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

An anemic rushing attack and the inability to possess the ball are adversely affecting the Steelers ability to win games

Against the Ravens, the Steelers offense converted 3rd downs at a clip of 1 out of every 3 third downs or at a clip of 33% efficiency. That ain’t gonna get it done. Per the official site of the NFL, Through five games of the 2019 season, the Steelers offense is ranked 29th in 3rd down efficiency with a conversion rate of 28 percent. Ironically, the Steelers offense is ranked 29th overall. That, as well, ain’t gonna get it done.

A lack of a running game to speak of is not the sole reason for our 3rd down efficiency issues, but it is most likely the reason we can’t salt away games when we do have a lead. The Steelers offense is ranked 29th in both total rushing yards and yards per game. In the Ravens game, we managed to rush for more yards than the season average; however, the season average is only 67 yards per game. Awful.

Time of possession has also been an issue all year, and it was an issue again in the Ravens game. The Steelers possessed the ball for 25 minutes and 34 seconds (this includes overtime). The Ravens possessed the ball for 39 minutes. I’m no math wizard, but the last time I checked, 39 is more than 25.

Through five games of the 2019 season, the Steelers offense is ranked 31st in time of possession at 26 minutes and 9 seconds per game. That means only one team is worse than us at possessing the ball; that means only one team is worse than us at not keeping the defense on the field for the majority of the game.

One last point about the offense in the Ravens game is this: The defense forced three turnovers that the offense was able to convert into two field goals and one touchdown. We turned the ball over twice. The Ravens were able to convert those turnovers into 10 points, 3 of those points was the game-winning FG in overtime. If even one of the field goals that the Steelers offense was able to score had been a touchdown, there would have been no need for overtime.

Let’s take a look at the other side of the ball.

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