For the past several seasons, offense has been one of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ biggest weaknesses. It hasn’t been good enough, often holding them back. However, that unit has been taking steps forward more recently. In 2024, they brought in Arthur Smith as their offensive coordinator, and the Steelers’ offense showed flashes. It fell to pieces to end the season, though. However, former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky is more confident in the Steelers’ offense this year.
“Last year, they had some success, and you guys remember me saying, ‘It ain’t good enough on offense. It’s not gonna beat teams that actually matter,'” Orlovsky said Monday on The Pat McAfee Show. “I feel differently about this group. I watched this offense for the past three weeks and I go, ‘This offense can be good enough to beat a Buffalo, a Kansas City, an Indy. They’re efficient.'”
Last year, the Steelers’ offense was good enough to help them win 10 games. However, against some of the NFL’s best, like the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, it was basically non-existent. The Steelers got crushed in those matchups, and Orlovsky was right.
However, things might be different this year. In 2024, the Steelers’ offense was a lot of feast or famine. Russell Wilson’s deep ball was still effective, but besides that, the Steelers’ passing offense couldn’t do much. Similarly, their run game wasn’t very explosive. Overall, the Steelers’ offense didn’t have much of a flow.
That’s different this season. With Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, the Steelers’ offense has a little more fluidity to it. The quick passing game has worked well. Rodgers gets the ball in the hands of his pass catchers and allows them to make plays.
Also, the Steelers’ run game has started to gain traction. They’ve rushed for at least 100 yards in back-to-back games. It’s given the Steelers’ offense some balance.
Can that unit keep up with the likes of the Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, though? That’s still a little unclear. The Steelers’ offense passed a big test in Week 6 against a stout Cleveland Browns defense. Pittsburgh moved the ball well despite the Browns having the second-ranked defense in the league going into that game.
Therefore, the Steelers might be able to keep pace with some of the more high-octane offenses in the league. Their defense has been a big piece of that, too. That unit struggled to start the year, but it’s been coming alive more recently. If the Steelers can sustain that success on both sides of the ball, then maybe they’ll be a threat in the playoffs this year. That was their goal when they were so active this offseason.
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