Passing on first down a must for Steelers
By Dale Lolley
For the Observer-Reporter
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
The Steelers’ defense got off to an uncharacteristically slow start last Sunday in Indianapolis, giving up touchdowns to the Colts on their first two possessions.
Coupled with the Colts getting a stop on fourth-and-short that gave Indianapolis the ball at the Pittsburgh 39-yard line, it led to a 17-0 deficit.
The defense settled down after that, allowing only 10 points the rest of the way, but the real story of that game was the offense.
In recent seasons, if the Steelers fell behind 17-0, the game was over.
The Steelers weren’t capable of mounting that kind of comeback.
But the Steelers got the ball back against Indianapolis with less than three minutes remaining in the game down 27-24 after scoring touchdowns on three consecutive drives in the second half.
Considering they also had a fumble inside the Indianapolis 5, took a sack and also lost a fumble that took them out of field-goal range and also had a penalty on their opening drive that pushed them out of field-goal range, the offense left at least nine points on the field – more if you think they might have scored a touchdown before George Pickens’ fumble at the Indianapolis 5 in the first half.
Overall, the Steelers had more than 400 yards of offense.
The Steelers did that twice in 2023, but neither instance came until after former offensive coordinator Matt Canada was fired.
This offense, however, without a true No. 2 receiver, was supposed to struggle to reach such numbers.
And that was with the running game, for the most part, failing to gain traction as the Colts run-blitzed on early downs.
Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, however, adjusted. The Steelers have been running the ball well over 60 percent of the time on first downs this season. They’re averaging 2.9 yards per carry on those attempts.
In this game, Smith called 17 passes for quarterback Justin Fields on first down – 19 if two sacks are considered – and 13 runs. And he didn’t wait until the second half to do that. The Steelers need to continue to mix it up on first down to open things up for their running game.
They want to be a run-first team. But when opponents are attacking the line of scrimmage the way they have this season, sometimes you’ve got to throw early to be able to run the ball late.
• Fields played well last week, but his issues with center-quarterback exchanges remains a problem.
Early in last week’s loss to the Colts, he nearly fumbled a snap when he was late getting out from under center. Later in the game, with the Steelers down by three points and just over two minutes remaining, Fields called for a snap on a silent count, then decided to take another look at the defense. That caused him to not be ready when center Zach Frazier snapped the ball, causing the Steelers to take a huge loss.
If this had been something that’s only happened once or twice, it wouldn’t be an issue. But it happened in the preseason, as well, even when veteran Nate Herbig was playing center.
The one constant in the snap issues has been Fields.
Fields has played well, as stated. He brought the Steelers back from a 17-0 first-half deficit against the Colts. But the snap issues are something that has to stop.
This week’s games
Cowboys (plus 2½) at Steelers: The Cowboys are 26th in the NFL in total defense. And that was with star linebackers Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence, neither of whom will play in this game. Dallas also is averaging only 75.3 yards rushing per game. The Steelers defense should bounce back this week after a sub-par performance last week in Indianapolis. Take the Steelers, 26-20.
Ravens (minus 3) at Bengals: This looks like a monumental mismatch on paper. Baltimore is averaging 220 rushing yards per game. The Bengals have been one of the worst run defenses in the NFL. That doesn’t bode well for Cincinnati. Take the Ravens, 27-20.
Browns (plus 3½) at Commanders: Cleveland’s offense remains a mess, not having scored more than 18 points in any game. Washington’s defense could help change that. But the problem is that Washington’s offense has been one of the most explosive in the league. And the Browns won’t be able to keep up. Take the Commanders, 30-18.
Raiders (plus 2½) at Broncos: The Broncos beat the Jets last week despite throwing for minus-7 yards in the first half and just over 50 yards in the game. Denver’s defense is playing that well. The Davante Adams issue has to be hanging over the heads of the Raiders this week. Take the Broncos, 17-13.
Packers (minus 3) at Rams: Green Bay fell way behind last week against the Vikings before rallying to draw within two points in quarterback Jordan Love’s return from a knee sprain. Love got better as the game went on. The Rams are a mess offensively and defensively because of injuries. Take the Packers, 31-17.
Last week: 3-2 ATS, 4-1 Straight up
Overall: 10-10 ATS; 12-8 Straight up
Dale Lolley hosts The Drive on Steelers Nation Radio and writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter.