Through three weeks of the 2021 NFL season, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more disappointing unit in the league than the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense.
NFL.com analyst and former NFL defensive back Bucky Brooks seems to agree, naming the Steeles’ offense one of the league’s three “most disappointing” units in the NFL through three weeks, joining the Washington Football Team’s defense, and the Seattle Seahawks’ defense.
Therefore, the Steelers’ offense is the most disappointing offensive unit in the NFL, according to Brooks, stating that the decline of Roethlisberger and the lack of cohesion along a rebuilt offensive line has played a role in the decline of the Steelers.
Brooks, writing on NFL.com Friday, laid out the issues with the Steelers’ offense as part of his piece detailing the league’s most disappointing units through three weeks.
“Ben Roethlisberger and Co. look nothing like contenders on offense, ranking 26th in yards and 28th in scoring,” Brooks writes. “Big Ben appears to have lost the battle with Father Time, as the 39-year-old no longer has the arm strength to push the ball down the field, thus wasting a receiving corps that looks pretty imposing on paper. With the offensive line lacking chemistry and continuity, Pittsburgh hasn’t been able to run the ball to alleviate the pressure on No. 7. Offensive coordinator Matt Canada must take a long, hard look at the X’s and O’s to see if he can develop a recipe that enables the offense to successfully run through rookie RB Najee Harris instead of a quarterback who’s lost his fastball.”
While I don’t think arm strength is the issue with Roethlisberger whatsoever, especially with pushing the football down the field, he certainly has fallen off from an accuracy standpoint, struggling with his overall ball placement. Add in the fact he appears perpetually not on the same page with his young receivers, it’s a recipe for disaster, which the first three weeks have been offensively for the Steelers.
The offensive line has done him no favors either, allowing him to be bruised and battered in the pocket more in three weeks than he seemingly has in three years, and has struggled to open up any semblance of running lanes for rookie running back Najee Harris.
While it’s still just three weeks into the longest season in NFL history, things aren’t looking up – or even optimistic — for the Steelers’ offense overall.
