The Pittsburgh Steelers have had quite a unique way of getting to 4-2 this season. It never looks pretty, and often leaves fans scratching their heads wondering, “How the heck did they just win that game?”
But it’s been working.
It feels like there’s always some magic in the air in the fourth quarter, and no matter the situation, Kenny Pickett will find a way to win for the Steelers.
However, not everyone is convinced that this style of winning is sustainable. For NFL Network analyst Judy Battista, there is a big question lingering over this team. She shared her thoughts on the Insiders, via NFL Network.
“That win against the Rams was a microcosm for how they’ve been playing. They don’t look good for the first three quarters, then they usually get some sort of spectacular defensive play – in this case, it was the T.J. Watt interception, and that sort of spurs them and maybe the offense comes through with a drive,” Battista said. “The real question for the Steelers is can you keep living on a razor’s edge like this? Can you keep relying on turnovers from your defense, maybe the occasional defensive touchdown? Can you win at the highest level that way? Maybe you can get a playoff spot, but you’re probably not going to win many playoff games if you can’t generate offense.”
The Steelers have generally followed the same formula for their wins this season. At a very simple level, their defense keeps them in the game, and their offense does just enough to get the job done. But is this sustainable? Is this something that can work in the playoffs, or even over the course of a full season?
Let’s take a look.
The Steelers have just eight offensive touchdowns in six games, giving them an average of around 1.3 per game. While it is a small sample size, that number is shockingly low. In fact, the last time any team matched this number for a full season was all the way back in 2012, when both the Arizona Cardinals and the Kansas City Chiefs did it. The Cardinals went 5-11 and the Chiefs went 2-14. Here’s a list of every quarterback who started a game for those two teams that season: Matt Cassel, Brady Quinn, Kevin Kolb, John Skelton, Brian Hoyer, and Ryan Lindley.
Sheesh.
So is there any precedent for historical success with this winning style? Well, the Steelers are also averaging 17.2 points per game this season, good for just 26th in the league. The last team to make the playoffs while averaging that few points? The 2005 Chicago Bears, who had one of the best defenses of the modern era and allowed just 12.6 points per game. And no, that wasn’t the team that made the Super Bowl, that was the 2006 Bears, who bumped up their scoring average to 26.7 points per game, which was second in the league.
Again, the sample sizes are small, and the Steelers’ offense has also had some tough early-season matchups. But it feels like something has to give. Either the Steelers offense starts scoring some points or the team stops racking up wins.
