The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t throw over the middle of the field with Justin Fields in the opener, but why? Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith took the blame—or rather the credit—for that strategy, citing Falcons S Jessie Bates III. Many wondered, or worried, that it was a byproduct of Fields’ playing style and progression, but he is right with us wondering. What will next week show?
“Yeah, we knew how good their safeties were last week, but I guess that was just part of the game plan”, Fields told reporters yesterday about the Steelers avoiding the middle of the field, via the team’s website. “But yeah, I guess we’ll see if we throw the ball over the middle of this game. I’m not really trying to give away a game plan like that. So yeah, we’ll see”.
All you need to do is look at a graph of Fields’ passing chart from the season opener, as the pattern jumps out as immediately obvious. The Steelers threw precisely zero passes between the hash marks all game, exclusively outside the numbers. More than 80 percent of their targets also came within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage.
This didn’t please Steelers fans because it felt like the continuation of a long-standing and frustrating pattern. For too long, the intermediate level and middle of the field have not existed in their passing offense. Are we just in for more of the same with Arthur Smith and Justin Fields (and Russell Wilson)?
Bates isn’t the only good safety the Steelers are going to encounter, so how long can you avoid it? The Broncos have some good secondary players at their disposal as well, so what is their strategy? Obviously, Fields and Smith aren’t going to lay out their plans for the Broncos’ benefit, so we’ll have to wait.
Realistically, I don’t see the Steelers making any kind of dramatic shift, but there should be a change. In the one game Kenny Pickett got to play without Matt Canada as his offensive coordinator, he did throw over the middle of the field—and TE Pat Freiermuth had a career day as a result.
Right now, Freiermuth is probably the Steelers’ top passing target behind George Pickens. But they have a lot of targets that can work the middle, from Van Jefferson to Connor Heyward. Outside of Pickens, the players who are more geared to strictly outside play are playing the least.
Ultimately, whatever works is what the Steelers should run. If they can function by heavily peppering the sidelines, then so be it. Some speculate that it is head coach Mike Tomlin who actually prefers this strategy. The thought process is he wants to emphasize ball security, understanding the Steelers’ success relies upon their defense. If the offense keeps the ball out of harm’s way, then the rest will take care of itself.
