The Pittsburgh Steelers entered their season opener against the Atlanta Falcons with a chance to put an end to a pitiful streak. The Steelers have not scored more than seven points in the first quarter of a regular-season or playoff game since September 11, 2022, when they faced the Cincinnati Bengals.
McCarthy's team escaped with a 20-13 win in Week 1, but this ugly streak lives on.
It's been just over four years to the day since the Steelers last scored more than a touchdown in the first 15 minutes of a game. Unfortunately, this brutal streak continued.
By the end of the first quarter, Mike McCarthy's team mustered up a measly three points, as Pittsburgh was down 7-3. Aaron Rodgers struggled; the running game struggled; the offensive line struggled. As a collective, the offense was underwhelming.
It's been 71 games (69 regular-season), and still the Steelers have failed to get off to a hot start on offense to open the game. We know it's going to take some time for this offense to mesh, but fans already have reason to worry.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans should be worried about the offense after a four-year first-quarter drought continues
To say the first quarter of the first game in the Mike McCarthy era was disappointing would be an understatement. The Atlanta Falcons were without their pair of first-round edge rushers, Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., but it didn't seem to make things any easier for Rodgers and the offense.
We wanted things to look different with McCarthy calling the plays—more passes over the middle of the field, a longer average depth of target, and holding the ball longer in the pocket. However, it was a collection of underwhelming offensive performances that led to just three first-quarter points for Pittsburgh, starting with the guys up front.
Because the offense couldn't create many rushing lanes, the Steelers were continually asked to convert on third and manageable. But receivers struggled to get open routinely, and Rodgers wasn't consistent at extending the play. It didn't help their cause that running back Jaylen Warren had a costly fumble early in the game.
This performance wasn't the 'be-all, end-all' of the McCarthy era; it's only the beginning. However, fans have stomached through years of mediocre offensive play, and what the Steelers did early in this contest didn't give anyone a reason to believe that McCarthy is magically going to turn things around.
It wasn't just the first quarter that was ugly for the offense.
By halftime, Rodgers was 14 of 26 for 131 yards (5.0 yards per attempt) and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Rico Dowdle and Jaylen Warren combined for 21 rushing yards on 10 carries (2.1 yards per carry) in the first two quarters. Things didn't get much better from there.
As a unit, the offense managed just 3.8 yards per play in the first half. Thankfully, the defense allowed just 94 first-half yards. And by the end of the game, it was Pittsburgh's 'D' that salvaged the game and helped the team to a Week 1 victory over Atlanta.
We don't want to hit the panic button; there's still a full season ahead, which means plenty of time for McCarthy to turn the offense around. Unfortunately, Steelers fans have dealt with routinely abysmal offensive play under three separate coordinators over the past five years, and we need to see this come to an end in 2026.
We're not losing hope after one contest—especially considering the Steelers came away with a win. But we need to see improvements from Rodgers and the offense early in the season.
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