When it comes to starting the game hot on offense, the Pittsburgh Steelers are currently one of the worst in the league. In fact, a study conducted on data collected by researcher Arjun Menon, Pittsburgh easily has the worst Expected Points Added (EPA) of the first 15 plays of any team in football. The first 15 plays are often referred to as an offense’s script, attempting to have the first 15 plays of the game mapped out.
Pittsburgh’s offense has truly been bad to start games out, having just one first-quarter touchdown all season on a deep pass completion from QB Kenny Pickett to WR Calvin Austin III. They have not scored an opening drive touchdown since Week 15 of last season, suggesting that the team’s script is poor to begin with. Mike Tomlin was asked about the offensive script in his weekly press conference on Tuesday, being questioned by the media if OC Matt Canada needs to do a better job scripting up the beginning of games to yield more positive results at the start of games.
“No, because sometimes it’s just we gotta do what we’re doing better,” Tomlin said to the media on video from the Steelers’ YouTube Channel. “We had a third down that we had a matchup that we certainly wanted. We had George Pickens on Witherspoon and we threw the ball out of bounds, for example. [Pickens] caught it, but it was out of bounds. Had we connected that and ran in and scored, you and I might not be having this discussion. So no, it does not require a change of agenda or anything. Maybe just keep the ball in bounds, for example. Or maybe on the second play of the game, we missed a pickup and, and Kenny got sacked and I think it was second and two and it produced a third and long. If we handle a routine pickup, it doesn’t require any changes. We just need to do routine things routinely at the early stages of games. And those are just two examples of why I’m resistant to the discussion.”
Canada shouldn’t be without blame as Tomlin defends his offensive coordinator with his response. Tomlin does have a point that the execution of players also needs to be held under the microscope regarding why their scripted plays haven’t done well. Tomlin mentioned two plays specifically where Pickens had Witherspoon beat down the field, but the pass from Pickett took Pickens out of bounds before he could get two feet down. The other play was a sack on Pickett on the second play of the game, setting up Pittsburgh with a third and long where Pickett got pressured again, looking for Pickens on an incomplete pass.
Pittsburgh can do a better job of scripting plays to get off to faster starts offensively, but the offense must do a better job of executing as well to make the script work. Pickett especially has been streaky to start games, often taking a couple of quarters to really settle in and play winning football. Pittsburgh can’t afford to have that as this team strives to make the playoffs in a talented AFC, having been one of the luckiest teams in football sitting at 4-2 with the offensive production the Steelers have had to this point. They finished the Rams game strong in the final quarter, and hopefully Pickett and the offense can ride that momentum into their next matchup against Jacksonville, getting off to a fast start offensively for the first time this season.
