The Pittsburgh Steelers have been in a month-long funk. They’ve lost three of their last four games, the latest of which was a 25-10 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. One thing that has stood out throughout
the span of this slump is how dreadful Pittsburgh’s offense is on third down.
In their last three games, the Steelers are 7-of-33 on third down – a measly 21 percent conversion rate, which is almost impressively bad. So why are they so bad on third down, and how can they fix it? It starts on first and second down.
Steelers Early Down Struggles
The Steelers consistently start off drives/new sequences of downs too slowly and conservatively. Per SumerBrain, Pittsburgh ranks 23rd in the NFL in yards per play on first down and 22nd in first-down success rate. And while they are right at league average in second-down success rate, being league average on second down doesn’t negate being bad on first down. Thus, the influx of more difficult third-down situations.
Steelers Consistent Third-And-Long Situations
The third-down issues largely stem from being set up in consistent third-and-medium or third-and-long situations. Per SumerBrain, 60.4 percent of Pittsburgh’s third-down plays are of five yards or more, which is the ninth-most in the NFL. In that same regard, 34.7 percent of their third-down plays are of 10+ yards, which is the second-most in the league. And on 3rd-and-10 or longer, the Steelers are 6-of-35 – just a 17.1 percent conversion rate.
In contrast, when the Steelers face 3rd-and-4 or shorter, they have a 60 percent conversion rate, which is 11th in the NFL. The issue isn’t third down; it’s when they face third-and-long when things go south. It’s a big reason why Pittsburgh has been somewhat volatile offensively this season. We’ve seen games where they look terrific, like in their first matchup with the Bengals. They had just two plays of 3rd-and-10 or longer, and were 7-of-10 on third down for the game. Against the Packers and Chargers, they faced nine third downs that were 10 yards or longer – they were 1-of-9 on converting those into first downs.
So, third down isn’t necessarily the Steelers’ issue – it’s specifically a third-and-long issue. And, to their defense, that’s always been the Arthur Smith M.O. – win on first down, set up second-and-manageable to open up the playbook, and if second down fails, the third down is manageable. Over the last handful of games, though, they have found themselves unable to consistently win on early downs, which puts them behind the eight ball. Facing a Bengals defense that they’ve already had success against, and this is far worse than the likes of the Chargers, Packers, and Colts should help them get back in a groove on offense, and hopefully help set a tone for the remainder of the season.
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