The more things change, the more they stay the same. Despite a new quarterback, coordinator, offensive line, and brand new year, the Pittsburgh Steelers still can’t climb out of their first-down hole. 2024 was another terrible year for Pittsburgh’s offense on first down and arguably worse than the past season.
Per Pro Football Reference/Stathead, the Steelers averaged 4.6 yards per play on first down this season, which ranked last in football. This is a step back from where Pittsburgh finished in 2023, 18th league-wide at 5.3 yards per play. Smith’s mark is worse than what Matt Canada achieved before being fired last season, averaging 5.0 yards per play that ranked 24th before he was canned.
Indeed, it was an abysmal showing and a key reason why Pittsburgh’s offense experienced its struggles. Poor on first down led to third-and-long and didn’t allow the Steelers to sustain drives and find offensive flow. Things have only gotten marginally better since our November check-in. Pittsburgh remained last in yards per play but bumped up their average from 4.1 to 4.6. Yippie.
Digging into the data, I’ve broken down Pittsburgh’s 2024 first-down numbers by overall, when rushing, when passing, and by first-down percentage (how often a team picked up a first-down on first down) in each category.
| First Down (Overall) | First Down % Rate |
|---|---|
| 4.6 Yards Per Play (32nd) | 16.4-percent (29th) |
| First Down (Rush) | First Down % Rate |
|---|---|
| 4.0 Yards Per Play (27th) | 13.9-percent (16th) |
| First Down (Pass) | First Down % Rate |
|---|---|
| 5.6 Yards Per Play (30th) | 20.2-percent (32nd) |
There is nothing impressive here. Overall, Pittsburgh ranked last on first down per play and only a smidge better in first down rate. Rushing the ball was slightly improved, 27th overall and a relatively respectable 16th in first-down rate. Passing was ugly, 30th overall and last in first-down rate.
Using overall figures, Let’s compare that to the Canada era.
| Coordinator/Year | First Down YPP | First Down % Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Arthur Smith (2024) | 4.6 YPP (32nd) | 16.4-percent (29th) |
| Matt Canada (2023) | 5.0 YPP (24th) | 20.3-percent (12th) |
| Matt Canada (2022) | 4.9 YPP (30th) | 18.2-percent (23rd) |
| Matt Canada (2021) | 4.3 YPP (32nd) | 16.6-percent (31st) |
Smith is worse than most steps of the Matt Canada era. In 2022 and 2023, Canada outperformed him in yards-per-play, first-down rate, and NFL ranking in both categories. In 2021, he had a worse YPP and identical rank, both last. His first-down rate was slightly higher than his NFL rank, which was two slots lower than Smith’s, 29th versus 31st.
Mike Tomlin repeatedly says they’re not defined by slow starts. Not in the first quarter and, presumably, on first down. But Pittsburgh continues to make life hard on themselves, unable to generate “easy” wins on first down especially as their play-action usage and effectiveness faded by season’s end. It’s why Pittsburgh ranks near the top in the league for percentage of third-down plays, facing third down 21.1 percent of the time.
For a ground-and-pound team, their first-down numbers might be worse than pass-happy teams more likely to create chunk plays through the air. Expecting Pittsburgh to finish first under their model could be asking too much. But isolating the ground game data and considering other run-heavy teams, the Eagles and Ravens dusted the Steelers’ numbers (Baltimore No. 1, Philadelphia No. 10), there’s no excuse for this offense’s first-down shortcomings to not only continue but worsen.
