The Pittsburgh Steelers came into their Sunday game on a hot stretch of three big wins and needing just one more to lock up their playoff spot. Their opponent: a lowly Browns team that once again was already eliminated from postseason play.
In short, it looked like an easy win for a Pittsburgh team that could use an additional rest week before the playoffs.
Instead, the Steelers laid an egg in spectacular fashion. They failed to score on numerous drives, and the offense as a whole looked like a shell of itself without DK Metcalf. His absence was felt massively.
It is no secret that Arthur Smith’s offense functions in a specific way. It is centered on focusing on one receiver to feed, while everyone else is just the supporting cast. Once again, that mantra failed.
Arthur Smith failed the Pittsburgh Steelers offense once again
We saw the team build out their receiver room in a similar way a season ago. Instead of Metcalf at the helm, it was George Pickens, an equally talented receiver, to run the passing game through.
Pickens struggled with his health late in the season, and when he was out, the offense floundered. We saw the same thing happen on Sunday, albeit Metcalf was out due to a suspension.
On paper, Smith’s offense works fine. You have a strong running game to build off of. When throwing the ball, you have a clear top dog and a variety of supporting members to mix in. When at its best, it is a hard offense to defend against.
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However, you are just one injury away from suddenly having a shallow receiver room. When that top threat is out, you suddenly don’t have a legitimate threat in the passing game. This makes you completely one-dimensional and takes away your edge.
This creates a prickly issue for the team. Any free agent of value will scoff at the idea of being a second option in an offense with minimal playing time. Even if they did sign, you would be spending a lot of money for a guy who isn’t going to produce.
That leaves you with the draft to fill out your receiver room. Again, though, it is hard to justify using a top pick on a guy that, when the rest of the receiver room is healthy, will likely struggle to be a feature of the offense.
Smith’s system has been refreshing for the Steelers, but it has one fatal flaw. You are just a single injury away from your offense collapsing. We’ve seen it in back-to-back seasons, and right now it could cost Pittsburgh a playoff spot.