After firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada, it seemed the Pittsburgh Steelers were beginning to turn a corner when it came to moving the football and scoring points. However, following two of the worst losses the team has suffered in what feels like forever, it doesn’t seem like there’s a single person who has any hope remaining for the Steelers offense. Everyone, it seems, except for former Jaguars’ running back and current NFL Network analyst Maurice Jones-Drew.
In this week’s edition of NFL.com’s bold predictions, MJD has decided to hitch his horse to the Steelers’ wagon, proclaiming that he believes the team will score 30 points in this weekend’s matchup against the Colts, even though his level of confidence doesn’t seem to be too high.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers are averaging a putrid 16.2 points per game this season, ranking 28th in the NFL. They haven’t reached 20 points since Week 10, and their season-high (26 points) came back in a Week 2 win over the Cleveland Browns,” Jones-Drew said of the Steelers’ nauseating offense. “Well, this is the bold predictions article, so that’s what I’m going to give you. Pittsburgh scores a whopping 30 points with backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky on Saturday, lifting them to victory and keeping them in the playoff chase.”
Frankly, it would be shocking to see the Steelers manage to produce such an incredible offensive explosion, especially considering how uninspiring Mitch Trubisky has looked when called upon this season. Just as well, the game against the Browns that Jones-Drew references where the Steelers scored 26 points is more complicated than it looks on paper. Pittsburgh scored two defensive touchdowns that game, meaning it wasn’t really the offense that put those points on the board.
Nothing is impossible though, as seen when the Raiders, whose offense has somehow managed to look even worse than Pittsburgh’s at times, scored an unbelievable 63 points in their game against the Chargers. History is also on the Steelers’ side in this game, as they are 26-6 all-time against the Colts, with some of their best offensive performances in recent memory coming against Indianapolis.
During the height of the Killer B’s era, it seemed like the combination of Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown would dismantle and deconstruct the Colts in every way possible as if an unstoppable force had met a very movable object. From 2014 to 2016, the Steelers scored 51, 45, and 28 points against the Colts. Maybe Mitch Trubisky and George Pickens will recreate some of that magic this weekend. Jones-Drew certainly seems to think so.
With the Colts ranking 25th overall in total defense, 17th overall in pass defense, and 26th overall in rush defense, it isn’t an impossible task, but recently the Steelers have made the possible feel impossible.
