For two straight games, the Pittsburgh Steelers have played pretty one-dimensional on offense. QB Kenny Pickett has had to attempt 86 passes as the running game has been underwhelming, being completely abandoned last weekend against San Francisco and only mustering 55 yards on 21 carries on Monday night against the Cleveland Browns.
Speaking to the media following the game, C Mason Cole mentioned that the play calling has nothing to do with the lack of success in Pittsburgh’s rushing attack thus far, but rather that it’s purely performance-based by the team on the field.
“I just don’t think we’re executing,” Cole said to the media on video from Steelers.com. “I think game plan-wise we’re great. The runs that we’re calling are great. We’re not getting the exact looks we want. We’re just not executing. There’s not much more to say than that, but there’s a lot of work to do on that front. If our defense keeps playing like that, man, we gotta run the ball and possess the ball. Get a hats’ off to our defense playing a heck of a ball game.”
Many Steelers fans would tend to disagree after chants rained from Acrisure Stadium Monday night calling for the Steelers to fire OC Matt Canada following a couple of controversial play calls. The offense has looking uninspiring the first two weeks, leading many to want to put Canada on the hot seat as Pittsburgh looks like a shell of itself from what we saw in the preseason.
Still, the running game does need to improve in overall execution like Cole mentioned. The offensive line needs to be able to consistently create more holes for the running backs to utilize while RBs Najee Harris and Jalen Warren need to do a better job of using what is given to them, creating in space as well as being able to break a tackle or make a defender miss.
Pittsburgh wanted to play bully ball in 2023, finding an offensive identity while playing stout defense. The defense held up its end of the bargain against the Browns, coming up with multiple splash plays. However, like Cole said, it’s the offense’s turn to step up and complement the defense by possessing the football, extending drives, and finishing in the end zone while taking time off the clock thanks to the defense’s efforts to get them the football.
