Think back to Week 1 last year against the Atlanta Falcons, and Arthur Smith’s first game as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator was quite the snoozefest. They won the game 18-10 with six field goals and zero touchdowns, and Smith admitted after the game that he intentionally avoided the middle of the field to minimize S Jessie Bates III. It sounds like we can expect a similar style of offense this Sunday against the New York Jets.
“If both offensive coordinators have their way, the Steelers-Jets game could be over in less than 2 1/2 hours. Both teams want to run the ball and keep the other team’s offense off the field,” Dan Graziano wrote via ESPN’s weekly buzz file. “Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith probably will design a conservative game plan against the tough Jets defense to put [Aaron] Rodgers in do-no-harm situations in an attempt to steal a road win.”
Fans are likely expecting to see something different from this new-look offense. That will come in time, but they would be wise to manage risk early in the season while all the new parts are still jelling as a group.
Last year, that conservative approach looked like 38 running plays, 30 passing plays, and zero shots to the middle of the field. But they got out of the stadium with an 18-10 win and a 1-0 record to start the season. That’s a success worth repeating in the eyes of the coaching staff.
The last thing fans want to see is a low-scoring game from the offense after all the offseason hype around Rodgers, DK Metcalf, Jonnu Smith, and the young offensive line. Smith himself said the Steelers didn’t sign Rodgers and trade for Metcalf to run the ball 50 times a game. But with zero snaps together in the preseason, they might slow roll the unveiling of the offense.
That approach won’t be unique to the Steelers, either. Graziano expects the Jets to “run, run and run some more” with Breece Hall, Braelon Allen, Isaiah Davis and Justin Fields. That was the blueprint to beating Pittsburgh’s defense last year. Teams are going to test that early and often.
At the end of the day, Mike Tomlin has a particular way he likes to engineer victory, and Smith has always been a run-first coordinator. As long as the Steelers aren’t in a significant hole, expect a healthy dose of Jaylen Warren, Kenneth Gainwell and Kaleb Johnson at MetLife Stadium.
