An encouraging aspect in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first two games has been controlling the clock. Running the ball is of course a key way in doing so, along with staying in game situations that allow you to stick to the ground game.
Let’s see how the Steelers have stacked up with the rest of the league in rushing attempts and average time of possession per drive through Week Two:
A handful of teams land on the top right, including Pittsburgh. A very positive part of Pittsburgh’s 2-0 start is leading the league in rushing attempts (77). High volume was expected with the hiring of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, and thankfully that has been on full display.
This has led to the seventh-rank in time of possession for the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. Yes, it’s a small sample size, but substantially better than 2023 when they ended the year at 23rd. Pittsburgh’s elite defense has done their part, limiting the opposition on the scoreboard, which will likely allow this to continue.
While this is all encouraging, rushing success can stand to improve, which would fuel Pittsburgh to staying atop these results and even improve their time of possession. As a team, the Steelers are 12th with 278 total rushing yards which seems strong, but fall all the way to 28th in yards per attempt (3.6).
Here’s the breakdown by player thus far:
RB Najee Harris: 37 attempts, 139 yards, 3.8 YPA
QB Justin Fields: 22 attempts, 84 yards, 3.8 YPA
RB Jaylen Warren: 11 attempts, 49 yards, 4.5 YPA
RB Cordarrelle Patterson: 6 attempts, 16 yards, 2.7 YPA
WR George Pickens: 1 attempt, -10 yards, -10.0 YPA
This gives us important context to how things have transpired. Harris leads the way in volume and yardage, followed by Fields at quarterback. Their matching 3.8 YPA isn’t terrible, nor ideal. When OG Isaac Seumalo returns, along with rookie Troy Fautanu settling in after the confusing carousel last week, time to jel will hopefully take less time than last season.
Most important is Warren, who leads the way in yards per attempt (4.5). He’s been easing back from a hamstring injury, with just two attempts in the opener compared to nine last week. Though the high YPA is on low attempts, it isn’t an outlier, considering he averaged 5.2-yards in the entire 2023 season (157 attempts). A more even timeshare with our one-two punch should aid our run game and time of possession.
It will also likely limit Patterson’s opportunities, which haven’t gone well thus far (2.7 YPA). What also gets hidden when looking at team YPA are plays like Pickens’ attempt that lost a whopping ten yards. With this low of a sample, that is costly in Pittsburgh’s 28th rank in YPA. I know you want to get him the ball, but behind the line has been poor and unnecessary in my opinion.
The certainty is Pittsburgh’s offense wants to run the football. That commitment, along with flashes that will hopefully become more consistent, could aid the Steelers in being top-five in both rush attempts and time of possession this season. If they can do that, it will go a long way to their goals this season.
The Steelers face the Los Angeles Chargers for their next challenge, who have also run the ball often (71 attempts, sixth). The visual highlights a far different result in time of possession though, where Los Angeles ranks 21st, far lower than the Steelers (seventh). Hopefully this transpires similarly, which would play well to Pittsburgh potentially going 3-0 for the first time since 2020.
