The Pittsburgh Steelers' offense has struggled mightily in recent years and a lot of the blame for that has fallen on former play-caller Matt Canada. He was somehow retained after a terrible 2022 season and ended up being fired in the middle of the 2023 campaign. The organization decided to bring in a coach with pedigree, and Arthur Smith took over. The unit led by Smith was expected to be a run-heavy group with a ton of play-action passing. Unfortunately, for the latter to work efficiently, the former needs to be clicking. That hasn't been the case for Smith and co. so far in 2024.
Pittsburgh is currently 10th in the NFL, averaging 128.5 yards per game on the ground, but there are two caveats to that. Quarterback Justin Fields is the team's second-leading rusher and the group is actually tied for 29th with an average of just 3.7 yards per rush. This has been an issue throughout Najee Harris' career, and it has continued on into the 2024 campaign.
Newcomer Cordarrelle Patterson has led the group, averaging 5.8 yards per carry, but no one else with over 10 carries is averaging over four yards per attempt on the ground. Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts was especially poor when Harris finished the game with 13 carries, but only 19 total yards on the ground. Head Coach Mike Tomlin's response to the poor running game, particularly early in games, came during his Tuesday press conference, and it was questionable, at best.
"I don't know that I view it [as a problem]," Tomlin said. "As I mentioned, three out of our four games have been in hostile venues and the communication component and the energy associated with that oftentimes makes the run game a game of attrition, meaning you win that war as the games proceeds and so I don't get overly concerned to be quite honest with you about starts, particularly from a small sample size at this early stage."
The first part of Tomlin's comments that stands out is what seems to be an excuse about not running the ball effectively out of the gate on the road. The best way to shut up an opposing fan base is to eat up clock and run the ball right down the field. It's early in the season, but concerning that Tomlin seems to be somewhat okay with a bad rushing attack.
Tomlin also talks about a small sample size, but four games is nearly a quarter of the entire season. One month has already come and gone and while the Steelers are 3-1 and first in the AFC North, the team hasn't even come close to its toughest stretch of the year yet. Harris is entering Week 5 averaging just 3.4 yards per carry, and the health of Patterson and Jaylen Warren remain in question.
Whether the Steelers are on the road, at home, or playing at a neutral site, any kind of environment is not an excuse to not effectively run the ball, especially early. If he would have mentioned that there have been a plethora of injuries on the offensive line and the group is adjusting, that would have been a much more acceptable answer than simply saying three games have been on the road, which plays a factor in a poor rushing attack.
Steelers Clearly Need A Healthy Warren Back As Soon As Possible
The absence of Warren is absolutely noticeable through four weeks. He only has been able to manage 14 carries for 54 yards, and has been hit with multiple injuries. Not having him on the field is definitely showing and proving to be a massive disadvantage for Pittsburgh. The running game needs to get going if all the other bells and whistles of Smith's offense are going to start working consistently.
