4 things that have Steelers fans grossly overreacting

Steelers Overreaction #4: How the offense has been built

There are a lot of Steelers fans that are grossly overestimating the Steelers offense this season. I get it, the line is improved, and there is a true identity for this unit, but the blueprint is a flawed one. The offense is set to be a run-heavy team featuring two talented running backs, but that kind of offense is archaic.

The NFL is an offensive-driven league fueled by talented quarterbacks and high-scoring passing offenses. Pittsburgh doesn’t have that. While Kenny Pickett should make some leaps in his second season, the team clearly doesn’t believe he is at the point where he can go one on one with some of the other top quarterbacks.

Having a good run game makes sense on paper. Defenses have gone lighter in order to combat quick passing schemes, so a ground-and-pound system could thrive. As well, the thought of a throwback offense built around some grueling run game is fun, as a lot of us watched offenses like that thrive years ago.

The issue is, that type of offense has proven to be flawed. The Titans featured one of the freakiest backs in Derrick Henry and were a fine playoff competitor with him at the helm. Without a stable passing game though, they still failed to match up against the Chiefs, Bills, and Bengals offenses of the world.

The Steelers offense can win games more than likely, but I have my doubts that they will truly be in the Super Bowl hunt. While an offense like this could squeak out a win in the playoffs, running the gauntlet of elite offenses isn’t likely.

Then there are the fans claiming that Pickett is in for a top-five or better season as quarterback. The run-heavy offense will likely limit that, but Pickett also has a lot of work to do. His decision-making and accuracy especially were suspect during his rookie year.

I feel like the goal this offseason was safe. Build an offense that hides the weakness of Pickett and is countertrend enough to win. Perhaps the playoffs are made, and even a win here could be squeaked out, but don’t kid yourselves, this offense won’t be able to compete with other top units in the league.

With the NFL in a bit of a dead zone, hot takes and overreactions are aplenty right now. The Steelers are no exception, as fans have been consistently overreacting to quite a few things this offseason following an eventful draft and free agency period.