While the Pittsburgh Steelers are 4-2, and the 32-13 scoreboard from the last victory was great to see, the offense was far from perfect. First down is obviously the most frequent and can either set the drive up for ease and success or pain and failure.
Too often, drives start poorly and even go backward for the Steelers’ offense. This was even true in their last win, and wanted to see how they fared across the NFL through Week Six in yardage achieved on first down (yards gained / yards to go):
The Pittsburgh Steelers offense ranks 31st in first down yardage achieved at an abysmal 40.5 percent. This creates too many poor situations on second and third down, and the ultimate goal of extending drives and scoring points consistently.
The last game was a prime example of this, with a high rate of second/third and longs making things more difficult than they need to be. This is also painful, considering no plays/penalties are removed from this number, which Pittsburgh’s offense has had its fair share of and would make for an even worse rate.
They were able to succeed in the last game despite putting their backs against the wall often. But this came against a battered Raiders squad that most teams would have run the scoreboard on. If the Steelers expect to keep scoring points against defenses moving forward, starting with a strong unit in the Jets in Week Seven, it all starts on first down.
I was also curious to see the run/pass splits. Pittsburgh’s run game has a 32.9 first down yardage achieved rate that also ranks 31st, while 52.1 passing yardage achieved on first down ranks slightly better at 29th.
So, the running game has been the bigger culprit. Another part of the equation is frequency. The Steelers have run the ball 90 times on first down, which ranks seventh most in the league and adds context to their next-to-last overall rate—comparatively, 60 passes on first down rank 23rd.
Perhaps the organization has seen this and is adjusting, as we’ve seen more passing on first down as the season has progressed. Hopefully, there will be more balance to the season averages moving forward, especially considering the lack of success on first-down rushes to date.
Of course, the quarterback is the biggest factor in the passing game. Justin Fields has done some nice things with his legs and arm this season, but he is coming off his worst outing as a passer. Russell Wilson was finally deemed healthy enough for starting consideration in HC Mike Tomlin’s weekly press conference, so it will be interesting to see if the team sticks with Fields or moves to Wilson for Week 7 and what the first down numbers look like.
For comparison and curiosity’s sake, let’s see how this looks for NFL defenses as well while I’m at it:
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense has allowed 54.1 first down yardage achieved rate, ranking eighth-best in the NFL. It’s much better than the offense, as you’d expect, being the head of this team’s identity. While their rate is respectably in the top ten, there is room to become more elite.
This has been the case in run defense, where Pittsburgh has allowed just 37.4 first down yardage achieved, impressively third-best in the league. Offenses have also avoided it against them compared to the league, with 71 attempts that are eighth-least.
Where the Steelers’ defense can improve is first-down passing. They allow 68.0 yardage on first down, which ranks much lower at 18th, with 81 attempts from the opposition, which is eighth most.
To achieve elite status, first-down passing defense is the target. Playing far more deep zone coverage than I like is a primary reason. While there are benefits like limiting big plays, perhaps balancing more varied coverages would improve these numbers and create more advantageous second—and third-down situations to feast on.
Another reason I wanted to include the defensive results is that the New York Jets are the NFL’s best defense in this regard and Pittsburgh’s next opponent. Their 42.7 first-down yardage achieved allowed is the only rate below 45 percent (lower numbers are best), so they are far and away the best defense to date in these terms.
So, the next-to-last Pittsburgh Steelers offense will be facing the best New York Jets defense in first-down yardage achieved in Week 7. Pittsburgh better come out much cleaner on offense because the sledding will likely be tough against the Jets’ stout unit. Here’s to hoping they can buck these stats on Sunday.
Thanks for reading, and let me know your thoughts in the comments.
