The Pittsburgh Steelers’ inability to convert in short-yardage situations and key moments is the reason why they lost to the Cleveland Browns last Thursday night. Painful as the loss was, the only thing worse is saying the same come January when defeats don’t derail but end seasons. QB Russell Wilson knows it’s a high priority to get fixed. Fast.
“At the end of the day, we gotta find a way to get and convert it,” Wilson said via 93.7 The Fan Wednesday. “Maybe it’s break a tackle. Maybe it’s just, just find a way to find a way. Especially in third and ones, fourth and ones. It’s all of us together and I think we know that we’re capable of that.”
Pittsburgh hasn’t found its way the last two weeks. They’re a combined 1-of-4 on fourth down with their three failures all coming within two yards. RB Najee Harris was stuffed against the Baltimore Ravens while RB Jaylen Warren was stopped just the same against the Cleveland Browns. And a wonky QB counter left Justin Fields with nowhere to go last Thursday. Even the Steelers’ lone short yardage conversion was painful, a scramble drill where Wilson found TE Pat Freiermuth along the sideline.
In all short-yardage situations the past two weeks, 3rd/4th needing two or fewer yards, Pittsburgh has converted just 5-of-12 chances. It makes for one of the worst marks in the league.
Wilson cautioned that small sample sizes create lots of noise.
“It’s so tough to just look at, one week or two weeks or this or that and just judge everything based off of that,” he said. “I think we just gotta look for the next moment.”
Even a longer lens doesn’t produce much more optimism. On the season in those situations, Pittsburgh has converted 59.1 percent of them. It’s sits in the bottom-third leaguewide surrounded by a host of stagnant offenses like the Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, and Chicago Bears.
But to Wilson’s point, all the team can do is move forward. There’s often no secret to converting in those moments. Win the leverage battle, cause the pile to fall forward, don’t lose a block or make a mental error. Clearly, the Steelers, like the rest of their offense, have work to do.
