As has been custom for most of the 2023 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers struggle to get their passing game going early, waiting until the second half to get things going. They have had a couple of big plays by WRs Calvin Austin III and George Pickens in the first half of previous games, but they haven’t been able to establish consistency with their passing attack.
Former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher joined Pat McAfee on The Pat McAfee Show Thursday to talk about the Steelers and their upcoming matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Cowher went into Pittsburgh’s offensive struggles, stating that the team needs to get Pickens and WR Diontae Johnson involved from the get-go to open up the team’s running game.
“Get them into the game early,” Cowher said to McAfee on video from McAfee’s Twitter page. “You gotta get these guys into the game. Pickens, you watch ’em, you get ’em into the game… he’s in the game. Diontae in the game, Jaylen [Warren]… get him a get him a couple carries. So you get the receivers in the game early, and then they’re gonna be blocking for you down the field. And a lot of times, a lot of the big runs come with those big blocks by the receivers.”
Getting Johnson back last week against the Rams after spending the last four weeks on IR due to a hamstring injury proved to be a big boost for Pittsburgh’s offense. That allowed Pickens to see more single coverage while Johnson provided that steady chain mover who can uncover with his precise route running. Pittsburgh managed to put together an impressive fourth quarter, accumulating over 180 yards and scoring two touchdowns to complete the comeback against the Rams.
We have criticized the Steelers from getting away from the running game early in the past, much like they did against the 49ers Week One and the Browns in Week Two. However, there’s a difference between getting away from the running game altogether and using the passing game to set up the running game like Cowher mentioned. Getting Johnson and Pickens going early in games will force opposing defenses to take defenders out of the box and play Pittsburgh honest, creating more running room for RBs Najee Harris and Warren. This would help Pittsburgh create more third-and-manageable situations as well as give Warren a chance to hit some explosive runs like we’ve seen from him during the preseason and at times during the regular season.
The passing game and the running game feed off one another as the success or failure of one will directly affect the ability to execute by the other. Defenses want to make you one-dimensional, but establishing your wideouts’ presence early in the game can put defenses on their heels, having to be prepared to stop the run even when looking to slow down what’s working in the passing game. Pittsburgh has the personnel to get it done, and we saw signs of it in the fourth quarter against the Rams last Sunday. They just need to start fast and establish that balance from the jump, having the opportunity to do so this coming weekend at home against the Jags.
