Forgive me for a little vent session about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ short-yardage struggles, especially in recent weeks. With the team off last weekend, I had the chance to focus on the rest of their league and how other offenses operate, which only made me more frustrated about what Pittsburgh is doing.
Or really, not doing. In third-and-short, we’re seeing other offenses operate on a higher level.
Take the Los Angeles Chargers-New England Patriots game. Facing 3rd and 2. They come out in 11 personnel, tighter splits, and run a rub/pick route to their best weapon, WR Ladd McConkey, in the flat for the easy completion.
He gains the first down and a couple more yards to keep the drive alive.
Or the Saturday night game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos. The Bengals have 3rd and 1. Come out in 11 personnel, motion the tight end across the formation, and create another rub/pick for Burrow to hit him in the flat at the top of his drop.
A 3-yard gain, but the drive keeps motoring.
And so we look at Pittsburgh. They have 3rd and 2 on their opening drive. Working off their opening script, they come out in 13 personnel, spread the field, and try to play matchups. Russell Wilson first looks for WR George Pickens on a curl, but he’s blanketed. Nothing else is immediately open, Wilson spins and fumbles, and the Steelers are fortunate to recover.
TE MyCole Pruitt does flash open over the middle, and Wilson potentially should’ve thrown him the football. But that’s sorta the point.
Compare the Chargers and Bengals designs to the Steelers. Los Angeles and Cincinnati are running plays designed to move the sticks. Rubs and picks into the flats to either their best players (for the Chargers, McConkey) or by excellent design to stress the defense (as the Bengals did to a backup tight end).
The Steelers? Isolated routes that don’t put the defense in conflict. Pittsburgh’s hoping someone wins a matchup or someone makes a play. The scheme elevates nothing.
Granted. I’m cherry-picking plays. I’m sure if this was Chargers Depot or, God help us, Bengals Depot, there’d be similar complaints throughout the course of a long season. Like I said, I’m venting it out here. But it does feel like the Steelers haven’t gotten enough “easy” yards that capable offenses are able to do. Lately, everything Pittsburgh is doing is against the grain, making life harder for themselves.
The numbers shine a light on that, too. For the entire 2024 season, Pittsburgh ranks just 25th in conversion rate on 3rd and 1-3 yards at 53.4 percent. Most of the teams below them are a collection of the NFL’s worst offenses: Miami, Jacksonville, Chicago, Las Vegas, New England, Carolina, and Cleveland are worse. Since Week 13, Pittsburgh has fallen to 28th at sub-50 percent.
These are the limiters on the Steelers’ offense: not being strong enough in situational ball, red zone offense or defense, short-yardage, and the “gotta have it” plays and moments. If that isn’t correct, even if the other issues are, Pittsburgh’s ceiling will be capped.
