Even if Arthur Smith might have given the Pittsburgh Steelers a new coat of paint and some semblance of organization, he hasn’t swapped out the nuts and bolts of an offense that is still woeful on first down. One of my biggest critiques of Matt Canada was the team’s inefficiency on first down, setting up second and long and too often playing to win on third down.
Through five games under Smith, it hasn’t gotten better. If anything it’s gotten worse. Currently, the Steelers rank 31st in first-down yardage at just 4.1 yards per play. Here’s their yearly ranking dating back to 2021. These numbers exclude all QB kneel downs.
Steelers’ First-Down Yardage (2021-2024)
2021 – 4.3 yards (32nd)
2022 – 4.9 yards (30th)
2023 – 5.3 yards (18th)
2024 – 4.1 yards (31st)
Meaning, what the Steelers have done five games under Smith is statistically worse than anything under Canada (though they were miserable prior to his 2023 firing and did much better once Mason Rudolph took over late in the season). And they only ranked worse in Canada’s first year as OC. Currently, only the hapless Cleveland Browns have been worse on first down, averaging 3.7 yards.
And they’re only picking up a first down 11 percent of the time. That’s 32nd in football and even worse than the Browns, who come in two-tenths of a point higher.
Running the ball has been hitting a wall. Pittsburgh is averaging just 3.2 yards on first-down runs, tied for last in football. Their first-down rate on those plays is also last at under 7 percent. And yet they rank 11th in rushing attempts with 52 (excluding the fourth quarter to best eliminate the “noise” of game circumstance).
The Steelers are only marginally better through the air, 26th in the league at 5.5 yards per attempt with a 17-percent first-down rate, 29th overall.
To recap. When they run on first down, they’re the worst in football. When they pass, they’re barely out of the basement. And overall, they find themselves nearly with the most second “and longs” in football, 70 plays of 2nd and 7-plus. Only the Browns (71) and Houston Texans (72) have more.
Part of this is philosophy. At least, what’s supposed to be it. Run on first down at a high rate — though it’s supposed to be at a higher rate of success — and keep the offense on schedule. Still, they’re not playing for first downs. They’re playing for third and manageable. Run on first down to get 4 yards. Pick up another three on second down. Win on third and short. It’s a model that existed under Matt Canada and speaks to the Steelers’ mindset coming from the top down, what head coach Mike Tomlin wants this offense to be about. In theory, it might work for a high-octane running game like say, Baltimore.
And so Pittsburgh trudges on. The Steelers will talk the talk about starting faster, running the ball better, finding big plays. So far, no one’s walked the walk.
