With a change at offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, there should be at least some changes on offense for the struggling unit. However, with a change coming midseason it is hard to expect huge shifts on offense. When QB Kenny Pickett spoke to the media earlier this week, he talked about how he is hoping the Steelers can rediscover their explosive passing game again and continue their strong rushing attack.
“I thought we were finding some explosives in the past, early on in the season,” said Pickett in his interview posted to the Steelers YouTube page. “The run game came on, these past three or four games we’ve been running the ball great; the o-line is meshing really well together. You know, finding some splash plays down the field, targeting some one-on-ones, whatever it may be. So those are the things you could build on.”
So far this season, the Steelers have 30 explosive plays and in recent weeks the run game has been providing a lot of explosive plays including RB Jaylen Warren’s 74-yard touchdown scamper last week against the Cleveland Browns.
While the Steelers passing offense has been brutal these past few weeks but Pickett is not wrong that that the passing offense has gotten away from explosive plays, even if some of that is on himself. As Steelers Depot’s own Clayton Eckart noted, the Steelers were averaging three explosive passing plays per game in the first six weeks of the season. The Steelers have only three explosive passing plays in the last four games, showing the team has gotten away from big pass plays.
While this has coincided with the run game becoming borderline elite, averaging 181 rushing yards in their last three games, there is no reason why both the run and pass game can’t work at the same time. That is going to be the challenge going forward for interim offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner and playcaller Mike Sullivan.
It is clear that the Steelers have the ability to create explosive plays in the pass game, WR’s George Pickens and Diontae Johnson are more than capable of creating big plays and Pickens did a lot of that early in the season.
For the passing game to get back to making explosive plays, the onus falls on Pickett’s shoulders. He hasn’t looked that good since the Steelers win against the Los Angeles Rams in Week Seven. There is time to turn it around, and he has the right attitude, but the simple fact is he has to play better.
The hope will be the new offensive coordinator and play caller will be able to jump start the passing game and help reinvigorate the explosive passing attack and Pickett’s game. If that happens, Pittsburgh could be on the right track and help their offense become an average unit, which would be huge for a defense that has done a great job in winning games this year.
