Through two games, the Pittsburgh Steelers offense is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. There has been plenty of finger-pointing by the media and fans but most believe the problems start and stop with offensive coordinator Matt Canada.
This rough start is especially hard to swallow when you consider the team appeared to make huge strides in the offseason. Added talent along the offensive line, everyone has another year in the system and quarterback Kenny Pickett spent the entire offseason lighting it up. His preseason was literally perfect.
Buy Steelers TicketsBut after playing two regular-season games, this offense has been almost unwatchable in all phases. Here are four stats that absolutely illustrate just how bad this group has been.
Dead last in points per drive
According to Pro Football Reference, the Steelers are No. 32 in the league in points scored per drive. How bad is being last? The Denver Broncos are No. 1 in the NFL and are averaging 3.0 points per drive. The top 15 offenses in the NFL all average more than 2.0 points per drive. The Steelers, meanwhile, are one of only two teams averaging less than 1.0 points per drive. Pittsburgh is averaging .8 points per drive.
Time of possession per drive
Another category that the Steelers are last in is time of possession per drive. We often think about offense in terms of total time of possession but when you break it down by drive, the numbers are more impactful. The Steelers average offensive drive in 2023 has only been 1:53. They are the only team in the NFL under two minutes.
Percentage of drives ending in a score
I bet you know how this one is going to end. The Steelers have the lowest percentage of drives that end in some sort of score. On one end you have the Los Angeles Rams. They have scored on 57.9 percent of their drives. And the Steelers? Only 16 percent of their drives have ended in scores. Last week against the Browns, Pittsburgh didn’t run a single offensive play inside the Cleveland 30-yard line.
Yards per play
Hey, here is one stat where the Steelers aren’t last. They are actually third from the bottom. Despite a few big plays in the field in the last two weeks including five plays over 24 yards, the Steelers are only averaging a woeful 4.3 yards per play. The Dolphins are tops in the league at 7.3 yards per play.
