One thing that’s been lacking in the Pittsburgh Steelers offense in recent years is explosive plays. The team just hasn’t been able to consistently generate splash, at least in comparison with the best teams in the NFL. But Kenny Pickett believes that can change this year, with the Steelers having the pieces in place to be able to go “shot for shot” with the best teams in the league.
“We have that ability. We have the guys on the outside, we have the guys in the backfield and upfront. We have everything in place that, we go execute, we’ll be able to go shot for shot with those guys,” Pickett said via Steelers.com. “And that’s the goal. Those teams that are playing deep into February, they have that and that’s what we need.”
Last year, really the only splash the Steelers got was on 50/50 balls to George Pickens. But with the playbook likely evolving, the Steelers have weapons outside of Pickens. Diontae Johnson should improve from his 2022 output, while Calvin Austin III is now healthy, and his speed opens up a lot of opportunities down the field for Pittsburgh.
The lack of splash has been one of the biggest issues in Pittsburgh’s offense, which feels as if it’s been stuck in the mud at times over the past few seasons. Last year, the team was rightfully somewhat cautious with Pickett. Now that he’s going into his second NFL season the playbook should expand and there should be more opportunities to make plays down the field.
While the Steelers are going to rely on the run game, they can use that to set up splash plays and get the ball downfield to players like Austin, Pickens, Johnson and tight end Pat Freiermuth. It’s what’s going to have to happen for them to become one of the best teams in the AFC and, in turn, one of the best teams in the NFL. Teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals have made a living off their deep passing game. While the Steelers might not be that proficient with it or make it as much of a fabric of their offense, they still need to show they can push the ball downfield.
With Pickett developing, hopefully, we’ll see more of that this season. Being able to create splash with explosive plays is essential to success, as Pickett noted, and it’s an element that’s been missing from Pittsburgh’s offense for far too long. Being able to control the clock and wear down the defense on the ground is nice, but every now and then the team is going to be able to prove it can consistently take and make shots down the field. Ideally, we’ll see some of that this year, as Pickett believes.
