The Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting offense hasn’t been good through two preseason games, but TE Pat Freiermuth doesn’t have any worries about how the group has looked thus far.
“I think it’s where it needs to be,” Freiermuth said told reporters after the Steelers’ 9-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills via audio provided by the team’s PR Department. “We just gotta continue to get into the stadium and that’s what preseason is for, work those little flaws out, and I think we’ll be ready to go for Week 1.”
The offense hasn’t looked ready to go at this point with offensive line struggles and the team just struggling to stay on schedule and consistently sustain drives. It’s still just the preseason, and not everyone who will play come the regular season is out there, but it’s still a little bit worrisome when you look at the fact that it’s now two games where the offense has struggled.
Of course, at this point last year, there was a lot of excitement over Pittsburgh’s offense and how it performed last year in the preseason. Then the regular season came, and it was a group that struggled throughout the season. So it’s important not to put too much stock into how the group has looked, but for a team that improved the quarterback position with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, invested in the offensive line in the draft and hired a new offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith, it’s been a disappointing one to watch so far.
Freiermuth noted that the Steelers are performing and clicking well offensively in practice, but it’s practice and they’re also going up against their own defense. They need to start showing that when they hit the field against a different opponent, and through two games, that simply hasn’t been the case.
Hopefully, things get figured out come the regular season, but the pass protection needs to be better and there needs to be more playmaking offensively. If those things don’t improve and the offense continues to struggle and stay behind schedule, it could be a long year in Pittsburgh, one that doesn’t meet expectations. Given what the team did this offseason, it’s important to have a strong season and compete in the playoffs. Another year with a struggling offense is going to make that hard to do.
