The Pittsburgh Steelers produced exactly three points in their second preseason game, though they also missed a field goal. Of course, even doubling their point total doesn’t make things look any better, does it?
On the whole, it was a dismal affair, the Steelers totaling 219 yards of offense, most of that with third stringers. They netted 106 rushing yards, which, again, came predominantly from the likes of La’Mical Perine and Justin Fields’ scrambles. In spite of the lack of polish, TE Connor Heyward has no worries about the offense.
“There’s no concern whatsoever”, he said after the game, via Steelers Live’s X profile. “We’re a really talented team, young [players] with old. But I know we’ll correct it. Luckily it’s happening now in the preseason, and that’s when you want it to happen”.
“This can’t be happening in the regular season”, Heyward acknowledged, of the Steelers’ sluggish offense. “Obviously, we have one more week of preseason to get ready for Detroit, but we do want to limit the mistakes we have and convert on those third downs. Just play clean ball, because that’s what it’s gonna come down to”.
The Steelers allowed four sacks and 10 total quarterback hits, plus seven tackles for loss and four passes defensed. They also had some costly penalties, like inopportune false starts. Justin Fields nearly threw an interception, but he also turned a sack into a third-down conversion.
The Steelers have had one of the worst offenses in the league in recent years, prompting an in-season firing in 2023. With Matt Canada ousted, they hoped that veteran play caller Arthur Smith would right the ship. He certainly still can, but the reality is the first two preseason performances have disappointed.
One can argue that the primary concern is the offensive line, which has experienced some injuries. Nate Herbig is dealing with potentially a significant shoulder injury while Troy Fautanu has a sprained MCL. Broderick Jones has been battling an elbow issue and was reportedly meeting with the doctor after the game.
Even with all the changes the Steelers have made, they know they won’t convince anybody that things will be different until they actually show it. Arthur Smith, Russell Wilson, Zach Frazier, Van Jefferson, all these names mean nothing until the Steelers score points.
The points in the preseason don’t count—ask Kenny Pickett, who is fighting to be a backup in Philadelphia now—but it’s certainly much more preferable to score them than not to. Because the thing is, you’re still trying to score even if the points don’t matter. And the other team is trying to stop you from scoring. If the Steelers are losing now, that doesn’t bode well for the future.
The Steelers reportedly practiced rather well against the Buffalo Bills heading into last night’s game. You wouldn’t know that based on the way the Bills controlled the game despite the low score. Connor Heyward isn’t worried, and perhaps he shouldn’t be, but that won’t calm those on the outside looking in.
