4 areas the Steelers must improve coming out of the bye week

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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin (left) and offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7). Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports /

Early-game offensive play calling

I’ll give credit when credit is due: I thought Randy Fichtner called a very good second half against the Texans to close out the game. He dialed up plays to pick up multiple key 3rd and 4th down conversions and was aggressive enough to make sure that Deshaun Watson didn’t get the ball back late in the game.

However, Fichtner’s play-calling early in games has been a disaster so far. In the first three weeks, the Steelers offensive coordinator is as predictable as anyone in the league when he wants to run the ball. It’s especially irritating to me how many runs he calls on second and medium or long.

As a result, the Steelers are just 22nd in the NFL in 3rd down conversion percentage, according to Team Rankings. Their first downs per play is even worse (28th in the league). Pittsburgh doesn’t need to be the best offense in the league with how good the defense is playing this year, but these are numbers that must improve.

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