Although they beat the Atlanta Falcons, the Pittsburgh Steelers still have some issues they need to get sorted out. The biggest problem for them is that their offense still looks slightly disjointed. They couldn’t buy a touchdown in Week 1, and part of that is because their wide receivers struggled so much. Outside of George Pickens, no one really had an impact on offense. Former NFL offensive lineman Brian Baldinger believes that will be a major detriment for the Steeles.
Appearing on DNVR Sports on YouTube recently, Baldinger explained how he views the Steelers’ passing game.
“They’re not a threat,” Baldinger said. “They had a deal done, Brandon Aiyuk to Pittsburgh. They need him in the worst way. Van Jefferson is their second receiver, [Pat] Freiermuth is their tight end. Not really throwing to those guys. Maybe Jaylen Warren will be healthier and have a bigger role. Maybe Cordarrelle Patterson will have a bigger role.”
Baldinger’s analysis isn’t wrong. Outside of Pickens, Steelers wide receivers combined for only two catches for eight yards. It isn’t much better if tight ends are included. That group combined for six catches for 41 yards, with Freiermuth leading the way with four catches for 27 yards. Without Pickens, the Steelers would be in serious trouble throwing the ball.
Baldinger is also correct that the Steelers were doing their best to acquire Aiyuk. Now, it’s obvious why. What are the Steelers going to do if Pickens gets hurt? Maybe the other receivers will improve as time goes on, but opposing defenses are going to attack that area. They’ll work to make the Steelers one-dimensional. If that happens, it won’t matter how good they are at running the ball.
“This Pittsburgh offense is not good,” Baldinger said. “Justin Fields can make splash plays because he’s a great runner and he’s a great athlete, but they weren’t very good around him on Sunday. I don’t expect that to change much because I think Denver’s defense is solid.”
Part of the blame for the lack of production on offense can probably be placed on Fields. He had a few opportunities to hit open receivers for short gains early, and he missed them. He did seem to get more comfortable as the game went on, but the slow start hurt the Steelers.
Arthur Smith did reveal that Atlanta’s solid secondary impacted their game plan, so perhaps the offense will have more success this week. Baldinger doesn’t seem to have faith that they’ll be much better though. With Pickens likely to face All-Pro corner Patrick Surtain II, it might be a tougher day.
If Pickens is limited, hopefully someone else can step up. Whether it’s a receiver or a tight end, the Steelers need a consistent No. 2 option in the passing game. Eventually, teams will catch on and force someone else to beat them.
