There’s nothing that gets fans more mad than a jet sweep. An unsuccessful one, anyway. One of the features of Matt Canada’s offense, that play might get ripped out of new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s playbook. Based on his history, it’s not one of his called runs.
Under Canada, no team ran more jet sweeps than Pittsburgh. And despite them being widely disliked, they were actually pretty effective. In 2022, the Steelers led the NFL with 30 such plays, averaging over 5.5 yards per carry with a touchdown. That average was better than the second-place Los Angeles Rams, by a little bit anyway.
In 2023, that number came down, but they still used 14 jet sweeps. Calvin Austin III led the way with 11, finding the end zone against the Cincinnati Bengals, while George Pickens had three, seeing more action late in the year.
Under Arthur Smith, jet sweeps aren’t in his vocabulary. Or playbook. As Dave Bryan compiled courtesy of Sports Info Solutions, the Tennessee Titans called just eight of them across his two seasons as offensive coordinator, 2019 and 2020. Only one had real success, a 49-yard pitch to WR A.J. Brown against the New Orleans Saints.
If there’s any wrinkle Smith liked to use, it was getting his tight ends involved in the running game. In three years under Arthur Smith, two years in Tennessee, and 2023 with Atlanta, Smith had seven carries and one touchdown, a goal line sweep against the Indianapolis Colts in 2020. Smith tried the same with Jonnu Smith on the goal line this past year in Atlanta against the Minnesota Vikings, but he was stopped short of the goal line.
In three years as the Falcons’ head coach and play caller, here are the total number of wide receiver runs Smith called.
Atlanta Wide Receiver Runs, 2021-2023
2021 – One Run
2022 – Two Runs
2023 – One Run
Digging a little deeper on all jet sweeps, which include attempts by tight ends, they had seven runs over three seasons, per SIS. A stark contrast to Canada’s jet sweep-happy style.
Is it good or bad? Indifferent, really. It’s just data. The jet sweeps were an inoffensive part of the Steelers’ playbook. They worked with moderate success but they weren’t game-breaking plays or still run all that often, an average of once or twice a game. It might hurt Calvin Austin’s value, especially if they can’t get him more involved in the passing game, considering he had more rushes than receptions after the bye, eight carries compared to five grabs.
No matter what, this is one small element of Canada’s and Smith’s game. It’s not going to make or break Smith’s tenure. But if you want small pieces of what to expect from this offense, one that will have its own style and flair compared to Canada, this is worth tucking away. Especially if you loathe jet sweeps.
