They may have only scored 16 points on Sunday, but the Pittsburgh Steelers offense looked much better than it has for most of the 2023 season. Pittsburgh amassed 421 yards of total offense against the Cincinnati Bengals, breaking a 58-game streak of the offense not reaching 400+ yards of total offense in their first game without OC Matt Canada calling plays.
The offense displays a good balance with QB Kenny Pickett throwing for 278 yards with the running game picking up 153 yards on the ground as RB Najee Harris enjoyed his best game of the season. Former NFL defensive lineman Chris Long came on The Rich Eisen Show as a guest on Monday to talk about Pittsburgh and their win against the Bengals, stating that he believes Pittsburgh could make some noise in the postseason should their offense continue to play the way they did on Sunday.
“I thought that this was a big positive step in the right direction and actually makes them not just a oh, they’re a footnote, they’re in the playoffs,” Long said on The Rich Eisen Show which aired on the show’s YouTube channel. “They can win a playoff game if they play like that offensively.”
For the last few years, we expected the Steelers not to be serious playoff contenders due to the fact that their offense looked capped, failing to have the juice and firepower to put up yards and points against the better teams in the AFC. Their defense has been good enough to help keep the opposing score down and give the offense a chance to win close and ugly late in games. But that style of play wouldn’t be enough to defeat a team like the Chiefs or the Dolphins that can put points up in bunches, forcing the Steelers’ offense to try and keep pace.
However, it appears like Pittsburgh’s offense is starting to find its stride as the running game has been a big factor the last month along with Pickett coming off arguably his best game of the season. He was threading the needle on several passes down the field to TE Pat Freiermuth, as well as, WRs George Pickens and Diontae Johnson down the sideline.
The points still need to follow the yardage output to make Pittsburgh a serious contender, but Long has a point that Pittsburgh could win a playoff game if their offense keeps playing the way it did on Sunday in Cincinnati. Should this offense that can move the ball on the ground and through the air matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars or the Miami Dolphins in the first round of the playoffs with the defense also playing well, Pittsburgh would have a shot to win and reach the divisional round. Hopefully, the points start to follow in the coming weeks as Pittsburgh looks to finish strong down the stretch, not only making the postseason, but possibly getting a win or two in the big dance.
