On Sunday night the Pittsburgh Steelers did all it could to mount a comeback against the Miami Dolphins but fell just short. We’ve had a chance to pour over the snap counts from the game and here are five things that stood out.
Running back reps totally out of whack
Najee Harris played 58 snaps on Sunday while Jaylen Warren only got 17. Pittsburgh’s rushing offense is going nowhere and the coaches feel no reason to try anything different. Nothing will change as long as the Steelers continue to keep Warren on the bench.
George Pickens still underused
Pittsburgh has a great rookie quarterback in Kenny Pickett. And it’s clear he has built chemistry with rookie wide receiver George Pickens. So to see him getting the third-most reps among the top three wide receivers is counterintuitive. Pickens hauled in his first touchdown of the season and needs to be the guy Pittsburgh pushes the football to.
S Tre Norwood only getting 10 snaps
A guy I targeted to have a huge game on Sunday was safety Tre Norwood. This might have happened if he had played more than 10 snaps. It’s time for defensive coordinator Teryl Austin to be held accountable for some questionable personnel decisions.
LB Malik Reed losing snaps
Outside linebacker Malik Reed only played 33 snaps on Sunday night which worked out to 53 percent. On paper, Reed is the team’s second-best pass rusher at outside linebacker so this is disconcerting. Reed has been a bust since joining Pittsburgh and T.J. Watt can’t get back soon enough.
James Pierre played more than Arthur Maulet
One of the real bright spots of the Steelers defense has been the play of cornerback Arthur Maulet. So why exactly is he only playing half of the defensive snaps and we are watching linebackers chase around Dolphins wide receivers and tight ends? Cornerback James Pierre actually played more snaps on Sunday which makes even less sense.
