4 areas the Steelers must improve coming out of the bye week
By Tommy Jaggi
Red zone scoring percentage
There’s a reason why the Steelers haven’t earned a 30-point game yet this season despite boasting a defense that continually puts them in good field position. Though Roethlisberger is taking care of the ball and Pittsburgh has found success on the ground early this season, their inability to convert in the red zone is going to cost them if it doesn’t improve.
Despite an easy schedule to start the season, the Steelers are just 25th in the league in red zone percentage, according to Team Rankings – chasing out with touchdowns on just 50 percent of their drives so far this season. Pittsburgh is currently tied with the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers in this department.
While there isn’t necessarily a direct correlation between red zone percentage and how good an offense is, this is a number we would like to see take a significant jump. Nine NFL teams are currently scoring touchdowns at least 70 percent of the time they reach the end zone. Pittsburgh’s offense is decent, but they won’t be able to put up enough points to compete with great offenses unless this improves.