The beatings will continue until morale improves. That’s my view of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-down offense. If they’re going to keep being bad at it, I’m going to keep writing about it. While the switch to QB Russell Wilson has produced plenty of benefits, one area where it hasn’t is on first down. Whether it’s Justin Fields or Russell Wilson or Kenny Pickett or Mitchell Trubisky, the Steelers can’t move the ball on first down.
In 2024, the Steelers are managing a paltry 4.1 yards per play on first down (excluding kneel downs and no plays). Not only is that 32nd in football but it’s easily the worst. Here are the bottom-five teams.
First Down Offense (2024)
28. Browns – 4.8 yards
29. Jets – 4.8 yards
30. Raiders – 4.6 yards
31. Patriots – 4.5 yards
32. Steelers – 4.1 yards
That’s nearly a half yard worse than the 31st-place New England Patriots. And it’s not like the Steelers are hanging with the league’s most potent offenses. They’re with the worst. Worse than the worst, really.
And they’re 31st in first-down percentage, how often a team gains a first down on first down. That figure sits at 13.7 percent, one-tenth better than the Patriots.
But that’s a season-wide stat that captures the two chapters of the season. With Justin Fields and with Russell Wilson. Has it changed since Wilson was inserted into the lineup?
In a word, no.
From Weeks 7 through 12, the Steelers are averaging the same 4.1 yards on first down. That’s 31st in the NFL, only ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders’ 4.0.
Technically, the Steelers are better with Wilson under Fields. They’re averaging 4.1 yards on first down under Wilson, 4.0 yards per first down under Fields. But the difference is obviously negligible.
That isn’t fully on the quarterbacks. There’s a run and pass game. But under Wilson, the Steelers are gaining a league-low 4.6 yards per first-down pass. Under Fields, it was better at 5.1 yards.
It’s a year-over-year issue that Pittsburgh can’t seem to figure out. A little of it has to do with the conservative, run-first nature of the offense. That will naturally bring some of these numbers down, the Steelers looking for the big play less often than pass-happy clubs. Still, there’s no excuse or rational reason to be consistently this sorry on first downs, which only causes the Steelers to play behind the sticks and win on third down.
There’s really no other solution other than to execute better. No magic wand to wave, no specific scheme fix that turns the whole cart around. It’s just been bad season after season and is an anchor on an offense that’s trying to keep its head above water.
