The Pittsburgh Steelers have scored just 31 points in the first two games of the season to kick off the Arthur Smith era as offensive coordinator for the Black and Gold.
On paper, that might be a bit underwhelming. But after starting the season 2-0 playing a formula that is working, things are going exactly to plan.
So much so that former NFL defensive end and ESPN analyst Chris Canty, during an appearance on the “Unsportsmanlike Conduct” show Monday morning, stated that Smith and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin see the game the same way.
“And here’s the thing I love about offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. He said, ‘Call me crazy, I loved the way that we played in Week 1 against Atlanta Falcons.’ He thought he was beautiful football; that’s what Mike Tomlin wants to do,” Canty said, according to audio via the show. “Mike Tomlin actually has an offensive coordinator that sees it the same way he does in terms of how they wanna play football and how they expect to win games in Pittsburgh. It’s been a long time since the Pittsburgh Steelers had a legitimate offensive coordinator. I mean, you gotta go back to Todd Haley, what was that, five or six years ago? That’s how long it’s been. So they actually have that now.
“They actually have a quarterback that’s gifted, and they have a championship-caliber defense. Call me crazy, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are gonna be one of those teams that are gonna be there at the end of this regular season in the mix to win their division.”
Yes, scoring outputs of 18 and 13 points aren’t something to plan a parade around, but context matters.
Against the Falcons in Week 1, the Steelers stalled out on drives that reached Atlanta territory, leading to six Chris Boswell field goals. The game plan was also rather conservative after the Steelers got word of Russell Wilson’s calf injury late in the week, causing them to have to adjust on the fly just a few days ahead of kickoff.
That led to the Steelers avoiding the middle of the field in the passing game, limiting what the offense could do.
Then, in Week 2 against Denver, things changed. Smith opened up the playbook a bit more for Fields with a full week to prepare, and the offense looked good in the first half. In the second half though, penalties really hindered the Steelers’ attack.
Pittsburgh won ugly, but that’s what the Steelers want based on how the team is built. Play great defense, create turnovers, run the football, hit some shots downfield in the passing game and win low-scoring games. That’s how Smith was brought up in the NFL, and that’s what is at his core.
Of course, he wants to score points and light up scoreboards like he did in Tennessee when he was the offensive coordinator, but right now it’s about settling in and finding ways to win. The Steelers are doing that and Sunday was another example of that.
Smith understands the game, understands how the Steelers want to play, and knows what’s needed to win games week in, week out. He’s proving that right now, especially after being more aggressive in Week 2 down the field knowing the officiating crew threw more flags for defensive pass interference than any other crew entering the game.
Thirteen points isn’t all that impressive, and neither is the 251 total yards. But what matters most is the win. Keep stacking them for now as the offense settles in.
