Above perhaps anything else, the biggest change the Pittsburgh Steelers hope to make in 2024 is a change in their passing game. They tore down their quarterback room to the studs and rebuilt it with three new faces: Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Kyle Allen.
A change in name that hopefully brings a change in numbers. If not, Pittsburgh will be in some bad company. In 2022, the Steelers threw just 12 touchdown passes (one of which came from WR Chase Claypool). In 2023, they threw only 13. If they’re still at or under the 15-touchdown mark in 2024, it’ll be the first time in 35 years the franchise has gone three straight seasons “achieving” such a feat.
The last time the Steelers went three-straight seasons under 16 passing touchdowns (i.e. 15 or less) was 1987-1989. Not exactly banner years in team history. In ’87, Mark Malone, Steve Bono, and Reggie Collier combined to throw 11 scores (Malone six, Bono five, Collier two). They threw nearly twice as many interceptions, 25. In ’88, they landed right on 15, Bubby Brister “leading” with 11. Todd Blackledge threw a pair while Bono tossed one as the team finished 5-11. They stuck with Brister in ’89, throwing just nine touchdowns, while Blackledge chipped in one to give the Steelers ten on the season.
That was the NFL’s worst mark though Pittsburgh somehow rallied from two terrible losses to open the year to make the playoffs and win the Wild Card game. Of course, those were during 16-game regular seasons. The Steelers’ streak is spanning the 17-game version, making their lack of production all the more bleak.
Since 1960, that’s the only time the Steelers’ passing game has been that futile three straight years. They’re in danger of it happening again. In fact, since the merger, 1987-1989 and 2022-2023 are the only instances it’s happened even in consecutive years.
On paper, they should get over that hump. Wilson has thrown at least 16 touchdowns in every season in the NFL, though that 16-score season came just two years ago with Denver.
Pittsburgh isn’t totally lacking talent at the skill positions, especially assuming they’ll draft (or trade?) for a high-caliber player to put opposite WR George Pickens. Even throwing 20 touchdowns this season, hardly more than one per game, will make the ’24 Steelers feel like the Greatest Show on Turf. Breaking the 15-score barrier shouldn’t be the goal. That should come in somewhere around 25, at least. But they certainly don’t want to further this streak. Or else they’ll be figuring out how – and with who – they can snap it in 2025.
