Steelers saw a peak Arthur Smith offense (and we should demand a refund)

The Steelers offense had their best showing this past week against the Raiders, scoring 32 points and winning handily. Despite the high-scoring affair, the offense wasn’t perfect. The passing game once again struggled to get itself going, and the scoring didn’t open up until the second half.

Instead, the running game was the reason for the win, and frankly put, this was a picture-perfect look at what the Arthur Smith offense is supposed to be.

Najee Harris did well on the ground for the first time this year. Even without his 36-yard score, he ran hard and moved the chains. Fields also helped out the running game, notching another 60 yards on the ground. They easily surpassed the passing offense this week in terms of total yards, and this team looked more like a version of the Titans that Smith coached but with a more athletic quarterback at the helm.

Look past the points though and look past the rushing success, and this style of offense should horrify Steelers fans. I know I don’t feel great after seeing how the team had to win this week. Despite the success on paper, the tape tells a different story. The Steelers were only up 12-7 at halftime, and the team only opened up after some defensive help.

Why Steelers' offense could be in trouble

While the defense has played a more key role in the NFL this season than in years past, the top offenses are still proving to be key to being contenders. Pittsburgh doesn’t have that, and outside of a good showing through the air against the Colts, we have seen the unit provide minimal help for this team to win.

The Raiders game was a blowout on paper, but the tape gives us a different view. Twice the Raiders were driving and were close to scoring. Both times T.J. Watt made a key play to knock the ball out of the running back's hands. These turnovers gave the ball back to the offense and kept Las Vegas out of the endzone.

Had the Raiders scored either time, this game is suddenly close, and who knows how momentum would have played out for this game. Instead, the defense remained stout and did what they needed to do. The offense did just enough to drive the ball and score. It was everything Smith promised us and then some.

So what is the issue?

Simply put, the team did this against a hapless Raiders team that was trialing a new quarterback. This isn’t exactly the elite of the elite in the NFL. The fact that it took that many turnovers to turn the tide isn’t ideal and against a top-level offense, I don’t see this playing out.

Unfortunately, the Steelers signed up for this kind of offense. They wanted to be slow and methodical despite a major quarterback upgrade this year. All of this even though Smith had little success with the Falcons and never got over the Super Bowl hump with the Titans. An offense can beat lesser and equal teams that way, but once the scoring opens up it makes it hard to stay competitive.

Where does this leave the Steelers?

While they look to remain competitive in the AFC North, I can’t see them beating the Chiefs or Bills, and since the playoffs will go through them, this won’t be a Super Bowl team. Despite the upgrades made this offseason, Pittsburgh opted to play it safe and keep a mediocre style of offense around.

I expect the team to keep on rolling through the regular season, but Smith’s offense lacks the legs to make a team elite. It is frustrating to see them continue to handicap themselves while the rest of the league evolves. Once again, the team is doing just enough to win games in the regular season even if it won’t help them in the postseason.