The Pittsburgh Steelers' offense struggled significantly under former Offensive Coordinator, Matt Canada, failing to score touchdowns and becoming painful to watch. This offseason, the team addressed the issue by bringing in Arthur Smith as the new offensive coordinator. There's a lot of excitement about what Smith can bring to this offense, especially given the personnel suited for his style of play.
Smith emphasizes a physical, run-heavy approach, and in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, that philosophy was on full display. Star running back Najee Harris led the charge, bulldozing through defenders with 20 carries for 70 rushing yards. Steeler Nation noticed Harris looked quicker and was running with more intensity than ever.
However, one major concern remains: the Steelers failed to score any touchdowns, instead relying on six field goals from kicker Chris Boswell. Speaking to the media, Harris acknowledged the offense needs to execute better moving forward.
"The good thing is we were in the red zone twice. But we've got to find a way to stop beating ourselves up. We've got to find a way to stop doing the false starts. We've got to find a way to convert on certain downs."
Harris didn’t place the blame on any individual player, but he acknowledged that the overall execution needs to improve.
He pointed to false starts and other drive-killing mistakes as key issues. Harris expressed hope that the Steelers can eliminate those errors and start finding the end zone more consistently.
"We've got to find a way to stay on schedule and not lose yards, even if the play's not blocked the right way. Try to get no negative yards, make it a 2nd and 10 instead of 2nd and 15. We've got to try to execute the plays [better]."
Harris' primary focus is on minimizing plays that result in negative yardage for the offense—an obvious but crucial objective. While he didn’t directly compare the current offense to the one under Canada, Harris did mention that the ongoing issues feel reminiscent of the struggles they faced in 2023. He emphasized that these problems are significant and must be addressed.
"We've got to try to do certain things right so the play could be executed at the rate that we want it to be. We're working on that. It is glaring, though, obviously, because this is the same thing probably last year that happened."
The Steelers offense reached historically low points under Canada, leading to his midseason firing in 2023—a rare move for the team.
With Smith now at the helm, there's optimism that the offense is in better hands. However, it will take time for the unit to fully gel with all the new pieces in place.
Steelers' Offense Looked More Comfortable In Week 1
In Week 1, the offense failed to score any touchdowns, raising concerns among Steelers fans. While that’s troubling, the offense operated with more fluidity and comfort than before. Though fans weren't overly impressed, the improvement was noticeable compared to past performances.
The offense looked more dynamic and mobile, playing with greater confidence. Justin Fields didn’t target the middle of the field, but that was by design, and he made key plays when needed. Harris ran with intensity and speed. The Steelers offense showed signs of life but has a lot of work to do.
For now, Harris' focus is on getting the Steelers into the end zone and cutting down on costly mistakes. There’s significant pressure on Smith to turn things around, and while Week 1 wasn’t a disaster, it’s clear there’s still work to be done—something Harris is well aware of.
