The Pittsburgh Steelers' offense has struggled at times this season, but they reached a new low this week against the Buffalo Bills. To call the product they put on the field offensive wouldn't do it justice. The 26-7 loss looks bad enough on the surface, but it gets worse the deeper you look into the numbers.
The Steelers finished with just 166 total yards, their fewest this season and one of their worst totals this decade. Running back James Cook outproduced them in terms of total yardage all by himself with 177, and Josh Allen didn't even have to do much of anything with no pressure coming from the Steelers' offense.
It was about as bad a day as they could have had against a Bills defense that is hardly a juggernaut. Fans now have no choice but to wonder if this season has any chance of turning into anything different than what they have gotten used to over the past decade.
Pittsburgh Steelers prove they are still no threat offensively despite all of their changes
Even the most pessimistic Steelers fan likely thought that the offense would be at least a little better in 2025. With names like quarterback Aaron Rodgers, wide receiver DK Metcalf, and rookie running back Kaleb Johnson being added this offseason, things seemed to be trending in the right direction.
It looked early on like the decision to add Rodgers was the right one, but injuries and inconsistent pocket presence have completely ruined his hot start. DK Metcalf looks like nothing more than a No.2 wide receiver, and the run game has struggled most weeks, regardless of who is getting the ball.
It all came to a head in their beating at the hands of Buffalo. Nothing seemed to work outside of a short touchdown drive that the defense handed them, and a long drive that ultimately ended on a failed fourth down.
Play calling, execution, coaching, you name it, and the Steelers did a bad job of it this week on offense. It was a total failure from top to bottom, and now they have to try and pick up the pieces before traveling to Baltimore to face the Ravens. The winner of that game is almost assured to win the AFC North, and it's hard to imagine that game going the Steelers' way.
Fans are surely frustrated, but this is who the Steelers have shown themselves to be. Maybe it's time to stop expecting something different.