Known for their slow starts, the Pittsburgh Steelers did nothing to shed that reputation in 2024. After going three-and-out Saturday night in their season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Steelers went an entire season without scoring a touchdown on their opening possession.
Entering Week 18, Pittsburgh was one of just three teams without a first-drive touchdown. The Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears are the others, attempting to break those droughts later Sunday. The Steelers have the second-longest active drought in the NFL behind only the Seahawks.
Pittsburgh’s last opening-drive touchdown came last season in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals, WR George Pickens 86-yard touchdown catch on QB Mason Rudolph’s first throw of the night.
To put the Steelers’ futility into context, it’s only the second time since 2001, as far back as Pro Football Reference tracks, Pittsburgh has gone an entire season without scoring on an opening drive. The other occurrence came in 2019, a season where the team spent most of the year cycling between Mason Rudolph and Duck Hodges.
Below are the number of first-drive touchdowns Pittsburgh’s registered from 2001 to today.
| Year | Steelers’ Opening TD Drives |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2015 | 2 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2013 | 2 |
| 2012 | 3 |
| 2011 | 6 |
| 2010 | 4 |
| 2009 | 4 |
| 2008 | 4 |
| 2007 | 4 |
| 2006 | 3 |
| 2005 | 3 |
| 2004 | 6 |
| 2003 | 1 |
| 2002 | 9 |
| 2001 | 2 |
The Steelers’ best showing came in 2002. With Tommy Maddox and Kordell Stewart starting games, the Steelers got hot under Maddox down the stretch, finding the end zone on first drives in five of their last seven games. During the Killer B’s era, the offense was good to score about-25 percent of the time on such drives. Even the Matt Canada era wasn’t awful with three of their 2023 scores coming before he was shown the door.
In the first year under Arthur Smith, the Steelers posted a goose egg. Worse, the first-drive progression only regressed throughout the year. In the season opener, Pittsburgh kicked a field goal in a low-scoring affair to beat the Atlanta Falcons. From Weeks 5-9, they failed to find the end zone but recorded a field goal each time and had something to show for themselves.
After kicking a field goal in their Week 11 win over the Baltimore Ravens, one of six Chris Boswell would hit that day, the Steelers went six-straight games without points. Four punts, a missed field goal, and an interception. In five straight, they went three-and-out unable to even flip field position as the tiniest consolation prize to coming away without a score.
Pittsburgh’s starts didn’t get much faster after the fact. They scored just 48 first-quarter points, less than three per game. Compare that to the 61 they scored in 2023 and 60 in 2022. It’s far below expectations.
First drives are supposed to work off a team’s opening script. Plays that are prepped and walked through. In fairness, scripts can be as useful in fact-finding as they are about scoring, and circumstances can take teams off their script, like being backed up on their goal line or a negative play that puts the offense in an “and long” moment.
Still, the bottom line is the bottom line. And that wasn’t good enough. It’ll be an obvious area for Smith and the Steelers’ offense to improve upon next year. And why it’s worthwhile for Mike Tomlin to stop brushing aside slow starts and taking how the team opens seriously. Or else the results won’t get better.
