Tell me if this sounds familiar. Gotta score more points, need to start faster. This, of course, been an obvious problem for a while now in Pittsburgh, unfortunately, and kept the team from reaching their potential. Today, I wanted to take a look at scoring by quarter through the five games of 2024 so far, and see how Pittsburgh has fared compared to the rest of the NFL.
First, here are total points per game, and number of wins to get a lay of the land:
Here, we get a visual sense of Pittsburgh defying the odds in the win column more than most teams, despite their low points-per-game. Only three teams land on the top left with winning records, but below average PPG: Houston, Denver, and Pittsburgh. More specifically, the Steelers 18.4 PPG ranks 26th in the NFL, but tie for fifth in wins with several teams.
Comparatively, 12 teams land on the bottom left, with more expected losing records on below average PPG. On the bottom right are squads that put up points, but more painfully hasn’t led to victories, including the under achieving Bengals in the division.
On the top right, we see several teams that look like contenders as we sit here today, with the two remaining unbeaten teams (Minnesota, Kansas City) having above-average points per game. The Commanders lead the NFL with a whopping 31.0 PPG, as they exceed many people’s expectations thus far at 4-1. That PPG number has me drooling, compared to Pittsburgh’s 18.4 PPG.
Now let’s dive deeper into points per game by quarter (PPQ):
Pittsburgh has literally taken forever to “get up to speed” in the points per game aspect of the game, which we know just from watching the games. But the chart really hammers this point home compared to the rest of the league, with a steady upward trend each quarter in 2024.
The Steelers are one of the worst in the NFL in the first quarter as expected, averaging just 2.6 PPQ that ties for 26th, ouch. After scoring three and seven PPQ the first two games, Pittsburgh put up goose eggs in Weeks 3 and 4, followed by just three on this two-game losing streak.
The Debbie Downer view is how long it’s been an issue for Pittsburgh. Optimistically, we saw new OC Arthur Smith and QB Justin Fields draw up aggressive shots early, painfully all missed opportunities as opposed to an unwillingness or conservative nature.
This included three explosive air yard attempts in the first quarter that all failed to connect, along with going 0/6 in the whole game. The impact of explosive plays to scoring drives is clear, and could look much better even a couple of these plays hit. Check out my my most recent Steelers’ passing chart if you want some unfortunate visual context on that issue.
Then, there’s the Steelers run first identity that defenses come out with high priority of stopping. Overall, the opposition has been able to limit Pittsburgh’s rushing success regardless of quarter, which is a big factor in their slow starts as well.
Here is a table of Steelers points per quarter and their NFL ranks:
We also see that while the 3.8 second quarter average is higher, it actually drops two spots in the NFL ranks to 28th. The NFL average in a quarter is currently 5.4, so here’s to hoping these numbers and the offense trends positively moving forward, which would be huge in hopes of getting back into the win column.
This has led to the need to rev up the engine in the second half. The good news is Pittsburgh’s offense has been able to, as an above average PPQ team across in the second half. In the third quarter, they have 5.2 PPQ which ties for 11th. Their best PPQ is in crunch time fourth quarters, with 6.8, holding the sole 12th rank.
The ability to score points in the fourth quarter is great to see. Confusing, but perhaps encouraging. You’d think it would be tougher to do so than the first quarter. That thought creates optimism that Pittsburgh’s offense can gel and trend positively earlier in games.
But I’ll believe it when I see it, with how often it has occurred and how painfully etched in the brain that is. The potential is there, and it’s time to finally stop talking about it and deliver stronger starts on the scoreboard for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here’s to hoping for just that against the Raiders on Sunday.
