The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a problem fielding a competent offense for the past few years. While they took steps in the right direction last year, they underwent a lot of changes on offense this offseason. Some of them have paid off, such as signing Aaron Rodgers. He’s given the Steelers their best play under center since Ben Roethlisberger was on the team. However, NFL Films guru Greg Cosell doesn’t love what he’s seen from the Steelers offensively.
“I find the Steelers’ offense, I’m being totally honest, a little hard to watch,” Cosell said Friday on Ross Tucker’s podcast. “They don’t really run the ball exceedingly well. They play a lot of big people. Their pass game is pretty condensed and limited. There’s not a lot to it right now. Halfway through the season, but maybe as the season progresses, there’ll become more to it. But right now, there’s not a whole lot to it.”
That’s a fair criticism. While the Steelers’ offense has been good at times, it’s struggled with consistency. It’s ranked 28th in the NFL currently, so statistically it’s a bottom-five offense.
Much of that is because of the Steelers’ struggles in the run game. Jaylen Warren has had some explosive performances, including 127 yards on 16 carries against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, more often than not, the Steelers’ run game hasn’t been good enough, as Cosell points out.
Warren has only gone over 50 rushing yards in three games this year, and he just scored his first rushing touchdown of the season in Week 9. Consistency is key, and the Steelers haven’t gotten that out of their run game. Part of that is because of game situations. Because the Steelers have struggled defensively at times, they’ve found themselves in a few shootouts. They’ve run the ball less as a result.
However, for a team that wants to run the ball effectively, rushing for 87.3 yards per game isn’t good enough. It’s not like the Steelers’ pass game has been outstanding, either. Rodgers has been solid, but the Steelers rely on a lot of quick throws and yards after the catch. Anything beyond that is hit or miss.
As Cosell mentions, though, the Steelers have time to iron out the wrinkles in their offense. It’s not like they don’t do anything right on that side of the ball. They’ve had a few decent rushing performances, and Rodgers can still push the ball downfield when he needs to. However, if their defense continues to be untrustworthy, then the Steelers might need to pick things up offensively if they want to be a playoff threat.
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