What is the problem with the Steelers offense? Is it the play calling, execution, or both? It is never that simple just to blame one person for an entire 11 man operation on the field.
Injuries have hindered the entire Steelers team this season – especially against this offensive side of the ball. Pittsburgh lost their franchise quarterback after just a game-and-a-half and were forced to deploy lesser weapons at critical positions on the field.
James Conner and Juju Smith-Schuster have been battling injuries the entire season and it has aided in the hindering of moving up and down the field offensively. With backup and third-string guys getting the nod to sling the ball, creates for tough and altering play-calling during and leading up to games.
Hey Steelers offense, you gonna help the defense a little bit?
— Wes Crosby (@OtherNHLCrosby) November 24, 2019
Steelers offense: pic.twitter.com/woKq8kIjuC
The offense currently struggles in every category when compared to the other 32 NFL teams. They rank 25th in points per game, 28th in yards per game, 27th in passing yards per game, and 25th in rushing yards per game. That ranks around 26 out of 32 in the NFL as one of the worst offenses. Being the seventh-worst offense in the league is not just on the coordinator but a culmination of factors.
The biggest disappointment has been the offensive line. Yes, their play as pass protectors is still one of the best, but when it comes to the run game it becomes a different story. No matter what running back is touching the ball, they all seem to run into brick walls with little to no gaps to maneuver through. Creating space and moving pull blocks have not been there throughout the season for the running game.
Now all of this is not all on player as offensive coordinator, Randy Fichtner has been suspect all season. Ultra-conservative in his play calling is an understatement with his backup quarterbacks. There seems to be little to no trust in them which is somewhat understandable. A wise man once said “You play to win the game,” and running two out of the three plays then punting is not playing to win.
Getting creative with his play-calling has been extremely lackluster. Maybe the offense runs better when Big Ben plays, but it did not seem strong during the opening game of the season. Thus far this year, the offense as a whole has created for a conglomerate of challenges to overcome.
For a collection of reasons, it has not been able to help their super-powered defense win more games during the season. Timely turnovers, injuries, and even penalties kill drives that might have led to points. The largest issue for this team is the lack of consistency.
After coming into the game against the Seahawks things looked relatively positive for Mason Rudolph as he took the reigns. He still looked to be improving and learning week by week until he was injured during the Baltimore Ravens game. Once he returned nothing looked to be improving, only regressing.
One thing is for sure: This offense or lack thereof is holding the team back. The Steelers defense is completely dominant and can win games, but will that be enough? Can the defense steal enough games to get the Steelers into the playoffs? Well, that would be a great question we hopefully do not need answered as the season goes on. Maybe the offense can help them win as well.