While the Steelers fielded a competitive team in 2020, these four stats will need to be improved upon if the team wants to remain competitive in 2021.
The Steelers started off the 2020 season on an impressive 11-game win streak, something this team had never accomplished before. The defense was playing at an elite level while the offense was moving the ball through a short but effective passing game. Unfortunately, teams figured them out and as a result, they only won one game. Everything culminated in a playoff loss against the Browns. This roster has gotten slightly worse this offseason, but if they can improve upon these four stats, the Steelers could remain competitive.
Steelers rushing yards per attempt
The classic yards per carry doesn’t tell the entire story of a rushing unit, but in the case of the Steelers, it does demonstrate just how effective the running game was in 2020. As a whole, this team averaged a meager 3.6 yards per carry amongst their running back. While the standard “4.0 yards per carry” metric isn’t true (think back to Jerome Bettis’s famous five carries, one yard, and three touchdowns game), a 3.6 average for a team is underwhelming.
Going into the season, this figure should improve some with Najee Harris taking on the role as bell-cow back. He averaged a healthy 5.8 yards per carry last season. The issue may be what the line does for him, but assuming he can make some plays on his own, this stat line should trend well into the 4.0-4.5 yards per carry range. That doesn’t mean the Steelers run game will be fixed, as successful run rates will be more critical to the success of the offense as a whole, but getting this run game to at least an average level will require that yards per carry number to increase.
Steelers completed air yards per pass completion
The Steelers had a good, albeit one-dimensional passing game in 2020. While Ben Roethlisberger had a successful statistical season, his play on the field was average at best. He became heavily reliant on quick and short passes with the hopes that the receivers would make a play after the catch. This resulted in the offense stalling down the stretch as defenses readied themselves for these quick passes and either swatted them at the line or prepared to tackle quickly after the catch.
Completed air yards per pass completion is just what it sounds like; it measures how far the ball traveled in the air before getting to the receiver. For reference, Super Bowl winner Tom Brady and runner-up Patrick Mahomes averaged 6.0 and 6.5 completed air yards per attempt respectfully. Roethlisberger on the other hand? He only averaged 4.6, evidence that his team became overly reliant on the short passing game.
Now, relying on the short pass isn’t an inherently bad thing. But only being able to throw it short resulted in this offense sputtering down the stretch. Roethlisberger doesn’t need to find the fountain of youth and start throwing bombs on every play but getting that number above five would at least be a good start.
Steelers adjusted net yards per attempt
While the Steelers getting the deep ball going (at least more so than it did in 2020), it doesn’t mean the offense will be fixed instantly. Finding a way to better their offensive adjusted net yards per attempt would signify a more efficient and potent passing game as a whole. For those that don’t know, adjusted net yards per attempt essentially looks at every aspect of the passing game (from yards to interceptions and scores) and it gives you a general number that represents how good a passing game was as a whole. The higher a number is on offense, the better a passing game is performing.
Last year, Roethlisberger only averaged 6.6 adjusted net yards per attempt. Going back to our Super Bowl winners, Brady posted an 8.0 adjusted net yards per attempt while Mahomes had an 8.9. League-wide, Roethlisberger was in the bottom third in this category and posted an identical number to Nick Mullens. Simply put, if this team wants to win, this number will have to go up.
This can happen in a myriad of ways. For starters, getting some deeper passes will move that number in the right direction. As well, lowering the drops that this team had can also aid in increasing this number. If the Steelers can get their adjusted net yards per passing attempt number up, this offense as a whole will be far more potent.
Steelers yards rushing after contact
The Steelers are a team that relies on a power back to be their lead back on offense. They want a running back that is bigger and runs through contact at the expense of breakaway speed. There is certainly nothing wrong with this philosophy, but it requires a back to be able to gain yards after contact. Unfortunately for the Steelers, this was a huge issue last season, as the running back room only netted 640 yards after contact, with James Conner and Benny Snell doing the majority of the damage there with 336 and 208 yards respectfully.
In comparison, Derrick Henry had almost 1,100 yards after contact on his own. While he is the best running back in the league, he also exemplifies the style of a back that the team wants to use. Simply put, 350 yards after contact isn’t going to cut it. According to CBS, Harris posted around 950 yards after contact last season, so there is hope that their draft investment can propel the Steelers into a better spot in this stat after his rookie season.
Frankly, this is going to be needed by any running back on the Steelers field in 2020. The offensive line has taken some considerable steps back, so whoever is running the ball will have to make the most out of very little. Harris should trend this number in the right direction. If he could be somewhere in the 500 yards after contact, he will land close to, if not in, the top ten. This will signify that the Steelers’ power rushing game is on the rebound and working. As a whole, that should improve the offense.
While the Steelers took a step back in the 2021 offseason, if the team can improve upon these four statistical categories it could mitigate the losses that were suffered. All four of them would signify a stronger offense as a whole and thus a more productive team. They have the tools and the players to do it, now it is just a matter of execution.