While the Steelers’ offense wasn’t the team’s problem for much of the season, recent weeks have seen the tide turning. It’s been a few games now since they’ve really looked formidable, benefiting from the defense. Against the Colts, for example, the defense gave them short fields. And they scored two touchdowns themselves this past week. What exactly is the problem that keeps getting the offense off-track?
“It’s almost like there’s too many cooks in the kitchen when it comes to all these personnel groupings. I know that’s the way Arthur [Smith] lives. That’s the way he wants it,” Ray Fittipaldo said on 93.7 The Fan, discussing the Steelers’ offense. “But I almost think they would be better off if they just got to some different personnel packages, kept the same players on the field, and just play football.”
According to our charting, the Steelers offense has run plays out of 11 personnel 195 times. In comparison, they have used 12 personnel 246 times, 13 personnel 117 times, and 04 or 14 personnel 7 times. All told, including 22 personnel, they have used multiple tight ends 375 times. That’s almost two-thirds of the Steelers’ total snaps on offense, which is hardly a surprise.
But they use so many different groups within that, and it can change from week to week. Darnell Washington has the steadiest playing time, but both Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith see their roles fluctuate. Connor Heyward is also in the mix, as is Spencer Anderson as a tackle-eligible.
And the Steelers offense does sometimes deploy two running backs. Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell have shared the field 18 times this year. And Gainwell has lined up all throughout the formation. That might make things complicated for the defense, but it’s complicated for the offense, too.
Including Anderson, the Steelers have 10 skill players who have logged 100-plus snaps on offense this season. We can’t forget about WR Ben Skowronek, of course, who has his niche. And Roman Wilson has seen increased playing time in recent weeks, perhaps overtaking Calvin Austin III.
But are the Steelers trying to do too much, too often, on offense? Are they winding up hurting themselves? Given the unforced errors we’ve seen that continue to stall drives, there might be some truth to that. Not long ago, they were playing musical chairs with the offensive line with Andrus Peat. And on the first play, he false-started.
“Isn’t he the perfect type of player when the weather gets bad, it’s muddy?” Fittipaldo said of Darnell Washington. “That’s who you want in the game. It’s almost like you’ve got to pare it down. Like, ‘Okay, we’re gonna go with Darnell [Washington] and Pat [Freiermuth], and then we’re gonna go with Roman [Wilson] and DK [Metcalf] and just see how it works out.”
Could the Steelers improve their results on offense by simplifying personnel schemes? On Thursday, DC Teryl Austin conceded that reducing Jalen Ramsey’s schematic movement has benefited the defense. It’s like appliances or vehicles: the more gadgets they include, the more things can go wrong. Sometimes the basic refrigerator is the one that will see you through, even if it can’t tell you when you need more 0% fat Greek yogurt.
