Despite all the upgrades they made this offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers still have some offensive issues they can’t shake, particularly starting too slowly. That was one of the biggest critiques of Matt Canada’s offense, and it hasn’t changed under Arthur Smith. Mike Tomlin doesn’t seem too concerned with that problem, though.
“We’re just gonna keep working,” Tomlin said Tuesday during his weekly press conferernce via the team’s YouTube channel. “We know that we are not defined by the first possession of a football game, or the first 15 minutes of a football game, for that matter.
“Probably more times than not, you’re more defined by the last possession of the game or the last 15 minutes. Oftentimes, we spend a lot of our time and energy in terms of growth and development in those areas.”
It’s true the Steelers win or lose based on factors beyond just the first quarter. However, it isn’t like that’s an insignificant flaw. Most of the time this year, the Steelers have been much better in games as they progress. That’s why their slow starts haven’t hurt them as much as when Canada was the offensive coordinator.
Just because the Steelers aren’t defined by their slow starts doesn’t mean they won’t bite them in the rear eventually. As Steelers Depot’s own Alex Kozora pointed out on Twitter recently, the Steelers have failed to score an opening drive touchdown since Week 16 of 2023. This 13-game drought ties the longest streak under Canada. That’s not good company to keep.
This year, those slow starts have hurt the Steelers. It could be argued that all three of their losses are directly connected to their inability to get rolling out of the gate. In those three games, they scored a total of nine points in the first half. They managed to battle back, but each time, it was too little, too late.
In the playoffs, a slow start could be the difference between winning and losing. No matter how well they play coming out of halftime, letting a team like the Buffalo Bills or Kansas City Chiefs get the jump on them would be a mistake.
The Steelers’ saving grace is, like Tomlin says, their phenomenal ability to close games. In the second half, the Steelers have looked like a different team. Their latest victory over the Cleveland Browns is a great example. In the first half, their offense looked anemic. However, once they came out of halftime, they were firing on all cylinders. It’s been like night and day.
That’s not a strategy the Steelers can always rely on. Tomlin says they’re continuing to work on it, and hopefully, that can translate to results soon. Through this next stretch of games, the Steelers might want to start at least a little quicker.
