Welcome to your weekly Pittsburgh Steelers “stat pack,” five numbers you need to know to get ready for the team’s upcoming game. They could relate to the opponent, the Steelers themselves, and could involve an individual, unit, or something else. All to help you become the smartest fan for gameday.
Five, Zero
Five represents the number of first possession scoring drives the Los Angeles Rams have led this season, tied for second-most in football. The zero is, you probably guessed it, the number of such first scoring drives the Steelers have had this season. Los Angeles is a fast starting team. Pittsburgh is not. At the least, the Steelers’ defense will gave to generate some early stops so they don’t lapse into a familiar routine of playing from behind and trying to catch-up.
Four
The number of carries by Los Angeles Rams’ running backs on their 53 man roster. And it’s the same number even if you include practice squader Darrell Henderson, signed earlier this week. The backfield is hurting due to injuries from Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers, both out for this game. Only rookie Zach Evans has any carries in 2023 for the Rams and it’s likely there will be a heavy rotation between him, Henderson, and possibly Myles Gaskin and Royce Freeman.
1998
Pittsburgh is on pace to score just 268 points this season, averaging 15.8 through their first five games. If they hit that mark, it’ll be their fewest points scored in a year since 1998, when they finished with 263 as they ended the year 7-9 and third place in the old five-team AFC Central. Of course, the Steelers even have an advantage of a 17th game this year, something that didn’t exist in 1998.
From a per-game standpoint, it would be the team’s worst output since 1970, Chuck Noll’s second season as Steeler’s head coach.
Two
That’s how many rookies have caught 100-plus passes in NFL history, Anquan Boldin (2003) and Jaylen Waddle (2021). Rams’ Puka Nacua is trying to be the third. He’s already halfway there with 50 receptions through the team’s first six games. He’s on pace for 141 receptions, which would blow the current rookie record out of the water, Waddle’s 104, but with Cooper Kupp back, Nacua’s numbers will dip. Still, he could set the record with all the attention teams like the Steelers will give Kupp.
Four, 100
The number four, again. Little hard to come up with these stats after a bye. But this is the number of Steelers currently on pace to finish the year with over 100 combined tackles. FS Minkah Fitzpatrick (139), ILBs Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander (115), and ILB Elandon Roberts (105). That’s never happened in team history. The most is a handful of instances of three Steelers doing that in the same year, 2012 being the most recent (Ryan Clark, Lawrence Timmons, and Larry Foote). Injuries could impact the ability for this to happen but that’s the current pace.
