The Pittsburgh Steelers ranked 26th in the NFL in points scored last season. They were 23rd in total yards, 26th in passing yards, 16th in rushing yards. While they ended up seventh in third-down conversion percentage, they were 23rd in the red zone. From the raw numbers, there’s a lot of room for improvement, to say the least.
And according to Connor Heyward, the second-year tight end, that’s exactly what they’re looking to do this offseason. He told Mike Prisuta for WDVE that the coaches are working through every aspect with them daily to try to improve their rankings, from yards after the catch to first-down efficiency, and every other facet.
“The coaches broke it all down, and each day we’re going through each thing”, he said, talking about how they have been looking at what the top offenses have been doing in the hopes of being in their place at this time next year.
“We’ve been looking at the top three scorers in the National Football League, top three in every category”, he said. “We want to be one, obviously, but top three, all those teams were playoff teams. We’re looking at that and to improve our yards after the catch, because those are opportunities for us to turn big plays into even bigger plays. That’s how you light up the scoreboard”.
The Steelers only gained 1473 yards after the catch last season as a team, averaging four yards after the catch per reception. Those numbers were elevated by the work out of the backfield by Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, who typically catch shorter passes, even passes behind the line of scrimmage. Warren, for example, had minus-eleven yards before the catch and 225 after.
Really, the biggest area in which they have to improve is the red zone, especially if you factor in the differences between the first and second halves of the year. The offense got much more efficient over time in its ability to move the ball, but the red zone continued to prove to be an obstacle.
The reality is that we can’t just hope and pray that it all comes down to second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett getting in a full offseason as the starter. Having a better rapport with your targets and having more input on the offense will go a long way, but it’s not going to do all the work for you.
And the offensive line is going to have a big say on the efficiency front, as well, both generally and in the red zone. They should take on the mentality that if you can get inside the 10-yard line, you have to get into the red zone at all costs. They own the space between the 10-yard line and the opponent’s end zone. Plain and simple.
I do think we should see a more matriculating offense this year. Pickett can play to that style, and they have guys who know how to move the chains like Diontae Johnson, Pat Freiermuth, Allen Robinson II, and the guys in the backfield.
It’s that red zone that’s the final frontier, and for the times when they’re struggling to keep the chains moving, they’ll need to find ways to hit on more of those big plays. There was some progress on that front in the second half of the year, but not nearly enough for them to reach the heights to which they aspire.
