Thankfully, the Pittsburgh Steelers are atop the AFC North with a 3-1 record. There is always room for improvement, though. An area I wanted to explore is explosive plays of 20 yards or more. Here is a visual of total explosive plays for NFL offenses and defenses through Week Five:
The Steelers defense has allowed 15 explosive plays this season, tying for 13th. But Pittsburgh’s offense has just ten explosive plays, tying for next to last on that side of the ball. It could be worse, as the last-place Saints split that number with just five explosive plays.
If Pittsburgh improves in this area, it could push the unit to another level. These total numbers have an important asterisk, though, with the Steelers fresh off their Week Five bye. This is also true for Atlanta, Chicago, and Green Bay.
With these teams having one less game, explosive play rates have a reduced sample size:
Still not ideal, but this graphic presents a better picture. Pittsburgh’s 4.7 percent explosive play rate on offense ranks 22nd, compared to tying for 30th in the initial raw stats. The con to this is that the Steelers rank dead last in total offensive plays. This makes their explosive play rate seem better, but they lack opportunities due to poor time of possession (which I’ll write about soon).
The defense moves down to slightly below average, with their 5.6-percent explosive play rate ranking 19th, compared to tying for 13th in the initial view. The Steelers rank fourth in total plays allowed, but were much worse before the bye week, also struggling in the time of possession battle.
Explosive plays often ignite drives, more often than not resulting in points. They factor into each other, and both are areas that Pittsburgh can hopefully trend positively in to maximize the team’s potential as 2025 progresses.
Lastly, here are explosive play rate differentials (offense – defense):
The Steelers also land at 22nd here, as they did in offensive explosive play rate, with a negative 0.9 percent explosive play rate differential. Pittsburgh is one of 17 teams with a negative differential, meaning they allow more explosives on defense than they create on offense. The Rams have the best with a 4.2 percent differential, clearly above the rest of the league.
Seattle’s 3.4 percent is second. They are the only other team above three, and they handed Pittsburgh their only loss of 2025 (31-17). Minnesota rounds out the top three, the Steelers’ most recent opponent. In those two games, Pittsburgh lost the explosive play battle 9-to-4, particularly faltering against Minnesota (5-1).
Pittsburgh got up early on the Vikings, so the in-game circumstances were a factor. They nearly allowed them to come all the way back from an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit. One explosive in particular came with 3:25 left, a whopping 81-yarder on a blown coverage by the Steeler defense. LB Payton Wilson turned on the jets to track down this play just short of the goal line.
In most cases, this would have gone for six. That could have reshaped the outcome of the game and led to a much different outlook for the team during the bye week. Instead, Pittsburgh is sitting pretty in the AFC North, despite its struggles in the explosive play department.
The Steelers’ next two games are within the division. Cleveland and Cincinnati are both bottom-five teams in explosive play rate differentials. The Browns rank 28th, with a 3.9-percent offensive explosive play rate (30th), and 5.7-percent on defense (20th, just below Pittsburgh). The Bengals have a 30th-ranked differential, 3.7 percent on offense (31st) and 5.9 percent defensively, landing behind Cleveland at 21st.
Explosive plays could be a huge factor. Each defense has allowed plenty of them, while each offense has struggled to create them. Passing plays are the most common explosive plays, and Pittsburgh has the clear advantage on paper with Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers’ defense would be wise to capitalize on not facing the most elite QBs in their upcoming games.
The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t going to become the most explosive offense anytime soon. But it should be high on their radar for improvement. Pair this with a defense that has leaked more than expected, and they’re lucky to have a 3-1 record. Injuries, while not an excuse, have hit the defense hard. After the bye, health is seemingly trending up.
The data we have on this young season suggests the next two games are an ideal time for cautious optimism. Seeing is believing, though. Here’s to more explosive play success on both sides of the ball for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their all-important AFC North matchups starting on Sunday.
