The Pittsburgh Steelers offense continues to have issues, but they are starting to show positive signs for their future.
Down in Atlanta seemed like a home game for the Steelers as the sea of black and gold took over the stadium. Kenny Pickett and his young offense took the field with the hope of taking advantage of a poor Falcons defense. They did a nice job in the first half of the game only to see their effort in the second half see constant setbacks.
Kenny Pickett is playing mistake-free football recently
For the most part, Pickett played a good game. The biggest issues that seem to happen a couple of times during a game are his misses in the middle of the field. He seems to overthink still in those situations and that has cost them touchdowns throughout his young career. Pickett has a lot left in terms of improvement, but we will see what happens as each week presents a new challenge.
Grade: B-
Nothing special from the rookie signal caller from this one, but he did make some great plays. He continues to show his scramble ability and create more time for his receivers to get open. Pickett needs to clean up those throws over the middle of the field and be more consistent to be a long-term starting quarterback for the Steelers.
Najee Harris looks like a new player ever since the bye week passed
Something has changed for Najee Harris in the best way during the second half of the season. Things looked bad during the earlier portion of the year and Harris seemed slow and lethargic running into the backs of his offensive linemen. That has changed since the bye week and this former first round pick is running hard and seeing the field better.
Grade: B
Another week of over 100 yards rushing for the running backs with the black and gold. They have been able to become a more consistent group since the bye week and that is for a multitude of reasons. Harris and company were able to make life easier for Pickett and kill a ton of clock during this contest.
It was a disappointing day for the Steelers receiving group
Diontae Johnson is one of the most infuriating players to watch on offense. No matter if he jumps backward during a play or drops a ball that would have been a huge first-down conversion. He has not been reliable enough to be the number-one guy on offense. The Steelers seem to disagree as George Pickens rarely saw a target throughout the game.
Grade: D-
Targeting receivers did not seem to be in the playbook for Pittsburgh for one reason or another. Johnson had a couple of costly drops, and a fumble scare that made the skin of fans crawl. Pickens needs to be a focal point on offense, and the mix of these players and the plays being called is a bad mix.
Pat Freiermuth had a monumental game and a rookie adds a TD
We get to the best group of the game for the Steelers as the tight ends had a big role in this win. Pat Freiermuth continues to be a bright spot on offense for Pittsburgh as he gets his name out to the rest of the NFL. Expect his role on offense to build from here as he led the team in receiving yards in this matchup.
Grade: A
Not only did Freiermuth have a big night on offense, but he made one of the most explosive plays by this unit throughout the schedule. Connor Heyward also played a big part in this win as he caught his first career touchdown. Tight ends on the Steelers is one of the strongest positional groups on the roster.
The offensive line had too many penalties but performed decent overall
Here we go again with this offensive line unit as they continue to disappoint in certain areas. The run blocking has gotten much better and seems to be a potential strength of this group. Dan Moore Jr. has just been terrible in his second year and the Steelers cannot find a replacement for him fast enough.
Grade: C
The run blocking might be better, but the pass blocking is not in great shape. The penalties continue to be an issue as it pushes the offense into terrible situations. Pickett did not have a pressure-free night either, even though the Falcons have one of the worst pass-rushing defenses in the league.
Steelers offense overall grade: B-
It was another tale of two halves for this offense as they looked good in the first and almost disappeared in the second. The black and gold need to find a balance that leads to more than 20 points a game and can keep their gas on the pedal. It looks like this group is not far off from a breakout game, but they just need to keep growing.
The Steelers offense was able to have another impressive first half, but there are issues that are becoming a theme. The second half has been stale and it needs to change if this team wants any chance at the post-season.