The Pittsburgh Steelers are 2-0 after back-to-back road games for the first time this century. They are one of just five AFC teams remaining without a loss. ESPN’s Ben Solak isn’t buying it, however, as he labeled the Steelers “pretenders” in his latest piece.
“The Steelers are, in theory, a team that wins with stifling defense and methodical offense. But even as the system has ‘worked’ over the past two weeks, their offense is in the bottom five in success rate,” Solak wrote via ESPN. “They have more wins than they have touchdowns, for goodness’ sake! What coach Mike Tomlin pulls off every season is impressive, but I cannot rightfully call the Steelers contenders.”
The offense remains a big concern despite the overhaul at offensive coordinator and quarterback this offseason. The Steelers are 29th in offensive success rate at 31.2 percent, above only the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, and Cleveland Browns. They are also tied with the Denver Broncos at 4.2 yards per play for the 28th ranked offense in that stat, per TruMedia.
Most of the other teams in the bottom-left quadrant of the above graphic are either 0-2 or 1-1. In fact, the Steelers are the only undefeated team with an offense performing that poorly.
That is largely because of their defense allowing the fifth-fewest yards per game at 260.5 and the second-fewest points per game at 8.0.
The defense has been pretty dominant, but one of those games was also against the Denver Broncos, one of the least efficient teams on offense. They did limit the Atlanta Falcons to 10 points, which looks better after their 22-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football yesterday.
The Steelers, especially in Week 1, were very intentionally conservative on offense. They completely avoided the middle of the field to limit the impact that Jessie Bates III and Justin Simmons could have on the game. Things opened up a little in Week 2, but a barrage of penalties prevented the offense from breaking out.
A few of Justin Fields’ best passing plays over the first two games of the season were negated by penalties. He has had 107 passing yards and a touchdown directly wiped out by penalties, and other scoring opportunities were limited by other penalties. That carries at least a little hope for the trajectory of the offense if the Steelers can clean up the sloppy play. There is certainly meat left on the bone.
Up next, they face the No. 1 defense in points allowed and No. 2 in total yards allowed. The Los Angeles Chargers will be their biggest challenge yet. Can the offense, which is struggling in most advanced statistics, overcome that type of challenge? It could be an ugly, low-scoring game. The Steelers are built to win in those types of games, and they will be in the friendly confines of Acrisure Stadium. Chargers QB Justin Herbert’s status is up in the air though X-rays taken yesterday were negative.
If the Steelers are going to have an offensive breakout, this probably isn’t the week to make it happen. The defense may have to carry the show once again.
