When Aaron Rodgers signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, it felt like he’d be the first quarterback in a while to truly open up their passing game. The unit hasn’t had much of an explosive element at all in recent years. And with Rodgers and DK Metcalf in the fold the Steelers hoped those days were over.
Unfortunately, they are still very much alive. And things reached a new low in November. CBS Sports’ Ben Fennell shared a stat on X that the Steelers did not complete a pass over 20 air yards during the entire month. On those 11 attempts, two were intercepted.
Steelers did not complete a pass over 20 Air Yards in the month of November. 4 games. 0/11, 2 INTs.
Jameis Winston had 5 of these vs DET yesterday.
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) November 24, 2025
The offense started the season well and was the Steelers’ better side of the ball. It put up 30 points against both New York and Cincinnati, while scoring in the 20s in a handful of wins too.
However, that success has been harder to come by in November. The Steelers beat the Colts, but their offense didn’t have to do much as the defense forced five turnovers. The unit had its worst performance the following week against the Los Angeles Chargers. That night, the Steelers scored just three points before a garbage-time touchdown drive. And with Mason Rudolph the last two weeks, the offense has been decent, but there certainly isn’t any explosiveness.
The fact that Jameis Winston, who was the Giants’ QB3 before recently becoming a starter, just had five more of these completions than the Steelers’ monthly total in one game is just embarrassing. And at this point, many are starting to blame coaching. To be fair, not completing a single pass of 20 air yards during two-and-a-half games with Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf on the field together is not a good look for a coordinator.
With Rudolph, the Steelers did take a couple deep shots against the Bears. But even when doing that, the chances aren’t really there. Aside from Metcalf, no receiver has managed to get open down the field consistently. And when the Steelers do look for Metcalf on 50/50 balls, he’s just not coming down with them. Even on the first drive Sunday, he allowed Nahshon Wright to intercept a pass that he certainly could have made a play on.
The lack of explosiveness in this offense is reaching quite a point of frustration. This was the season the Steelers were hoping to make some strides. The second season under Arthur Smith, a future Hall of Fame quarterback, and a new dynamic WR1. And yet, the Steelers’ passing game has been anything but explosive.
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