When your defense is scoring the same number of touchdowns as your offense through the first two weeks of the season, it likely means that you either have a phenomenal defense, or that your offense isn’t reaching the bar.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, the answer is a little bit of both. After getting stomped but the San Francisco 49ers, the defense came back in a big way against the Browns, holding them to multiple field goals and punts in a nail biter Monday night while also scoring two touchdowns thanks to OLBs T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. The offense, on the other hand, has put up a singular touchdown in two consecutive games, looking incompetent at times as Pittsburgh could not get anything going for the first half of both contests.
Speaking to the media Wednesday, QB Kenny Pickett was asked about the attitude from his guys on the offensive side of the ball. Pickett was quick to answer, revealing his frustration with the state of the offense that the rest of Steeler Nation currently has.
“The attitude is there, man” Pickett said to the media Wednesdayvia video from Jeff Hathhorn’s Twitter page. “People are going to be frustrated that we’re not playing the way we want to play. No one likes this feeling obviously, from a fan base standpoint from a being on the team standpoint. Nobody wants that offense out there that we’re putting out right now. We gotta be better. We know we must be better. So, everyone’s in here working and pushing towards that.”
Pickett isn’t ignorant when it comes to the fan base’s displeasure with the state of Pittsburgh’s offense. The unit hasn’t played well compared to the lofty expectations the offense set with its preseason performance, plummeting back to earth with a non-existent running game as well as a passing game where Pickett isn’t connecting on basic throws and forcing passes into tight coverage.
Pickett suggests that it’s not an attitude issue among his teammates but rather an execution issue on the field. This has been an ongoing trend dating back to last season when Pittsburgh failed to execute offensively for most games, leading to a 2-6 start. The Steelers still saw see minimal results in the scoring department even as the fought their way back to relevance.
As an NFL football player, you take pride in what you do, your performance on the field, and the opportunity to represent your city and your fan base. Pickett, as well as the whole offense for that matter, feel the same way that Steelers fans are feeling right now when it comes to their offensive performance the first two weeks of the season. Just look at WR George Pickens last weekend against the 49ers and the blatant frustration he was battling as the offense was embarrassing in the team’s home opener.
Pickett and the Steelers know that mediocrity on offense isn’t acceptable. They feel disgusted with their performance thus far just like everyone else. However, now it’s a matter of taking that hard work done in the building and on the practice field that Pickett mentioned and turn it into results. We can’t magically expect things to get turned around in one week, and we saw some growth last weekend against Cleveland compared to Week One. However, it’s imperative for this offense to start stacking good days on top of each other, hopefully leading to better weeks with more offensive success. They will get their next opportunity to right the ship Sunday night against the Las Vegas Raiders.
