There are some minor issues you can point to for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but there is just one that could prevent them from realizing their full potential as a deep playoff contender with an outside chance at representing the AFC in the Super Bowl. That would be their ability to score touchdowns once in the red zone. Too often have they settled for field goals. Mike Tomlin said it best. They are tired of K Chris Boswell winning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week because it reminds them of their warts in the red zone.
Arthur Smith spoke to the media today for his typical Thursday coordinator availability and addressed some of the red-zone concerns.
“We have to get out of our own way,” Smith said via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo on X.
The Steelers are lagging way behind the pack in terms of their touchdown percentage in the red zone. They have converted just 44.74 percent of their opportunities into six points. That is the third-worst mark in the entire league, only ahead of the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. The Baltimore Ravens are leading the league with a 78.72-percent touchdown rate in the red zone, for comparison.
The Steelers only ran seven plays from the red zone against the Cleveland Browns last Thursday on two different drives. One of them resulted in a field goal and the other a touchdown. In terms of their recent red-zone performances, it actually wasn’t as bad as some other weeks. They still gave their best effort at shooting themselves in the foot, though.
In the third quarter, Zach Frazier snapped it pretty high and forced Russell Wilson to jump and turn away from the play. That resulted in him getting tackled for a big loss after a four-yard gain on first down. A second down with six yards to go became a third down with 13 yards to go and they could only gain seven before kicking a field goal. Those are difficult to overcome, especially for a team that already struggles in the red area.
This will continue to be the emphasis for the offense. If they can solve it, then the Steelers are capable of beating just about anybody. If they don’t, we very well could be looking at a first-round exit in the playoffs again.
