While there is no ideal time to schedule a bye week, there is also never a bad time for one, either. The Pittsburgh Steelers had their bye last year after eight games, nearly at the midpoint of the season, and they turned their season around afterwards, finishing 7-2 over the final nine games to post a 9-8 record.
Currently sitting at 3-2, they are once again coming out of their bye hoping for a similarly effective respite, particularly on offense. While there were no wholesale changes, C Mason Cole believes the time off was beneficial collectively and individually.
“I think it’s good mentally”, he told reporters yesterday, via the team’s website. “I mean, physically, of course, but mentally, to get away from the game for a few days and just reset your mind going into these next 12 weeks with goals in mind of how to get better, how to perform better”, he said, is a big deal.
“We certainly have those on offense and personally”, he added. “It’s a good mental reset for all these guys. It’s good to get off our feet for a few days, but we’ve got a lot of work to do in the next 12 weeks”.
For the offensive players in particular, what they are resetting is over a month of underperformance. They averaged just 13 points per game, excluding the assistance of a couple of defensive scores, over the first five games.
Though the fact that they have already had their bye while most teams have not throws off the numbers some, the Steelers still rank near the bottom in most offensive categories. And they rank dead last in plays run per drive and yards gained per drive, as well as 30th in scoring drive percentage.
They put up points on only one out of four possessions, and most of them are field goals. Their 1.08 points per drive also rank 30th in the NFL. I still marvel at the fact that there are four teams with fewer passing touchdowns than Pittsburgh, however, which has just five. Only the New York Giants have as few offensive touchdowns, though they have already played six games, so are even worse.
One thing the Steelers did not reset is the role of offensive coordinator, as Matt Canada by all appearances is set to resume the role he has held since 2021. Few teams have even sniffed the level of futility the Steelers have perfected on offense since then, yet Pittsburgh seems willing to at least stick out the season with him.
There is the return of injured parties to look forward to, however, particularly WR Diontae Johnson, who has missed most of the season after suffering a hamstring injury early in the second half of the season opener. TE Pat Freiermuth also missed a game, as did LT Dan Moore Jr., and RG James Daniels has missed the past two games. RB Anthony McFarland Jr. has missed the past four contests, so they are picking up options.
