Whereas the Pittsburgh Steelers offense made strides in 2024, there’s actually extra meat on that bone. Right this moment, I needed to have a look at how passing offenses have fared by way of Week 17, utilizing success charges by down, recreation halves, and weekly views. Let’s leap proper in.
First, let’s have a look at early down success charges league-wide (with scrambles, kneels, spikes, and aborted/penalty performs excluded):
First Down Go Success = A move that positive factors 40-percent or extra of the wanted yardage.
Second Down Go Success = A move that positive factors 50-percent or extra of the wanted yardage.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are under the imply in every, notably on first down, however to not the extent of their speeding success charges by way of Week 15. First-down passing has been 50.6-percent profitable (twenty third), whereas a 48.9 quantity on second-down ranks nineteenth. There’s been an general downtrend as of late in opposition to playoff-bound groups, which isn’t what you wish to hear with the postseason on the horizon.
Talking of which, we see a number of groups on the highest proper will probably be extending their play into January. Buffalo and Inexperienced Bay are exceptions however are improbable on second down. Tampa Bay is way and away the NFL’s greatest on first down (66.8), and Baltimore leads on second downs with 59.2 success. The Saints have the bottom 43.1 on first down, and a workforce Pittsburgh might face, Houston, has a league-worst 39.8 on second down.
Vying for his or her postseason ticket is one other top-right workforce and divisional matchup within the finale: The Cincinnati Bengals. They’re effectively above common in every, with 59.9 success on first down (third) and 54.8 on second down (eighth). High ten in every, as a potent passing assault on this essential and significant matchup. They’re scorching on a four-game successful streak, whereas Pittsburgh has misplaced the final three.
Listed here are late downs, the place third and fourth downs that choose up a primary down are thought of successful:
The Steelers rank twenty second on late downs, with 34.4-percent success. This has been a difficulty, on the fallacious aspect of that equation, in opposition to lots of their latest opponents on either side of the ball.
This contains their final Christmas Day matchup in opposition to Kansas Metropolis, who lead the league in late down move success at 47-percent. Then it’s Cincinnati at 45.3 %. Baltimore and Philadelphia are additionally within the high eight, so Pittsburgh has confronted this problem loads lately, and would be the case once more within the finale in opposition to the Bengals with extra hopeful success.
Now for the complete image, whole speeding success charges:
Pittsburgh is twentieth within the NFL in whole move success, at 44.7 %. For context, the Bucs high the league at 55.7 %, and Cleveland’s 38.7 success charge within the AFC North is the NFL’s worst.
In totality, Cincinnati ranks third with a 53.8 passing success charge. This aids their means to place up factors in bunches, which Pittsburgh withstood to win the primary matchup 44-38. That’s not how the Steelers sometimes win, and they’re going to possible want an analogous efficiency in opposition to their passing prowess.
I used to be additionally curious to see how rush offenses have carried out by half:
Pittsburgh’s recreation halves are additionally under the imply. Their decrease 45.7 success within the first half (twenty fourth) is sensible as a irritating and persistently gradual beginning offense, in comparison with 43.5 within the second half (twentieth). Nonetheless, and not using a first-drive landing in 2024, they’ve additionally gotten behind early in opposition to a number of groups, together with final week in opposition to the defending champs.
The way you end video games is extra vital, however the lack of emphasis on getting a robust begin has dug the Steelers right into a gap too typically. That is one other issue of their shedding streak, and it merely gained’t minimize it in opposition to the very best groups in soccer persistently. Pittsburgh’s final two opponents have carried out that no matter halftime, which can be true for his or her subsequent problem within the Bengals.
To wrap up, let’s have a look at a weekly breakdown for added context:
General, it’s been a bleak success charge image for Pittsburgh’s passing offense. Simply 5 video games above the league common (46.9). Two got here with QB Justin Fields in Weeks Three and 4 (1-1 report).
Russell Wilson took over in Week Seven, beginning clearly under the road in his first 4 video games, offering spotlight performs however not the constant success of his friends. Then, there was a extra intense curler coaster, together with the final three losses, with two under the road. His worst mark of 2024 got here in that stretch in opposition to a robust Philadelphia protection that restricted Pittsburgh to 26.1 passing success, the tenth-worst this season.
The intense aspect is Wilson’s greatest end result, in opposition to Cincinnati in Week 13, with a 64.9 success charge that ties for 18th greatest in all of 2024. That’s encouraging and can hopefully reoccur for the Steelers offense to finish the common season on a better observe. The caveat is that the Bengals’ move protection has made some strides since, in order that will probably be attention-grabbing to observe play out.
Pittsburgh’s protection has gone the opposite method, sadly, and so they face the potent passing assault led by Joe Burrow. Communication has been a difficulty far too late within the season, and hopefully, with the powerful stretch of three powerful opponents in 11 days within the rearview, the “mini bye-week” and returning well being to the unit will all help of their return to a extra dominant unit like we noticed earlier this 12 months.
Right here’s to hoping these vital issues happen, which is able to gasoline extra optimism and launch the Steelers into the playoffs. Thanks for studying, and please let me know your ideas within the feedback.
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