The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense, while only scoring four touchdowns through two games, has been noticeably better this season, as Pittsburgh has controlled the clock and worn down opposing defenses. The decision to hire Arthur Smith as the team’s offensive coordinator has paid off so far, and the move was lauded Monday by no less an authority than former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
“I think Arthur Smith is one of the best offensive coaches in the league, and he’s done a really good job with Coach [Mike] Tomlin playing to the strength of that team,” Belichick said on The Pat McAfee Show. “And that’s why they’re winning. You know, he’s doing a nice job with the way they’re using [Justin] Fields. Again, they don’t put the defense in many bad positions. Haven’t turned the ball over, competitive in the running game, took advantage of the scoring opportunities with playing good, complementary football. And so that’s been great for him.”
Belichick has some experience going up against Smith in big spots. The Tom Brady-Belichick era ended at the hands of the Tennessee Titans in the 2020 AFC Wild Card Round with Smith running Tennessee’s offense. While Smith’s stint as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons didn’t go that well, he was a really good coordinator for the Titans, and he’s helped revamp Pittsburgh’s offense this season.
Stylistically, the Steelers are playing the way they’ve wanted to for the last few years, leaning on the run game and playing ball-control football. But in the past, under Matt Canada, the Steelers were plagued by poor play calling and far too many three-and-outs that hindered those efforts.
Under Smith, the Steelers have remained on schedule, not taking too many drive-killing sacks and continually moving the chains. With two Monday Night Football games still left to play in Week 3, the Steelers rank second in the league in average time of possession at 33:55 a game. That keeps the defense fresh and in a better position to make plays in the third and fourth quarter.
The Steelers held the Chargers to -5 total yards in the second half yesterday, and while the defense is immensely talented, not spending as much time on the field and getting some rest has helped the unit play some of its best football in years through three weeks. Smith has also gotten a lot out of Justin Fields, who’s eliminated some of the bad habits that caused things to go south during his time with the Chicago Bears.
Smith has made this offense fun to watch, and if the Steelers can continue to keep up the level they have played at through three weeks, they’re going to be a tough team to beat this season.
