3 concerning stats Steelers must correct following the Week 7 bye

Steelers rushing yards per attempt: 3.7 (28th)

One of the biggest concerns with this football team dating back to halfway through the 2020 season has been their inability to run the football. After finishing dead last in this department last year, the Steelers are on pace to be 29th in rushing in 2021.

Fortunately, history has shown that teams don’t need to run the ball for well over 100 yards per game in order to be successful in today’s NFL, but they do need to have an efficient rushing attack. Last year, the Buccaneers were 25th in the NFL in rushing and went on to win the Super Bowl. The Chiefs were 22nd in the league in this department in 2019 during their championship run.

The problem with the Steelers is that their running game isn’t close to efficient at this point in time… but it’s getting there. Over the first four games of the season, Pittsburgh had a combined 211 rushing yards and averaged just 3.1 yards per attempt. However, over their last two games (both wins), the Steelers had 266 rushing yards and averaged 4.1 yards per carry.

If Najee Harris and the offensive line continue to improve and the offense progresses forward at this rate, it’s possible they could have a competent rushing attack that can help win them football games by the end of the season.

The Steelers have plenty of other things to work on during the bye week as well, but these three statistics must be improved upon if Mike Tomlin wants his team to make a push for the playoffs in the second half of the year.