The Steelers offense has a first down problem heading into Week 6

While the Pittsburgh Steelers are 4-2 and the 32-13 mark in their last win was great to see, the offense has been far from perfect. First down is obviously the most common and can result in either ease and success or pain and failure.

All too often, offenses start poorly and even end up on the defensive for the Steelers offense. This was true even in their last win and we wanted to see how they performed across the NFL in terms of yards gained on first down (yards gained/yards remaining) in Week 6:

The Pittsburgh Steelers offense ranks 31st in first down yardage at an abysmal 40.5 percent. This creates too many bad situations on second and third downs and the ultimate goal is to extend drives and continually score points.

The last game was a prime example of this, with a high second/third ratio and long balls making things more difficult than they needed to be. This is also painful considering that no plays/penalties are subtracted from this number, which Pittsburgh’s offense had its fair share of and which would result in an even worse rate.

They were able to be successful in the last game despite often having their backs against the wall. But this came against a struggling Raiders team that most teams would have been on. If the Steelers expect to continue scoring points against defense, starting with a strong Jets unit in week seven, it all starts with the first down.

I was also curious about the run/pass splits. Pittsburgh’s running game has a first-down yardage gained of 32.9, also ranking 31st, while its 52.1 pass yardage gained on first down ranks slightly better at 29th.

So the running game was the bigger culprit. Another part of the equation is frequency. The Steelers have passed the ball on first down 90 times, which ranks seventh in the league and puts their second-to-last overall percentage into context – by comparison, 60 passes on first down ranks 23rd.

Perhaps the organization has recognized this and is adjusting as we have seen more first down passes as the season has progressed. Hopefully there will be more balance in season averages going forward, especially considering the lack of success in first down runs so far.

Of course, the quarterback is the biggest factor in the passing game. Justin Fields has done some nice things with his legs and arms this season, but his worst performance has come as a passer. Russell Wilson was finally deemed healthy enough to be considered in HC Mike Tomlin’s weekly press conference. So it will be interesting to see if the team sticks with Fields or switches to Wilson for Week 7 and what the first down numbers look like.

For comparison and curiosity’s sake, let’s take a look at what this looks like for NFL defenses too:

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense has posted a first-down yardage of 54.1, eighth-best in the NFL. It’s much better than the offense, as you’d expect, being the brains of this team’s identity. Even though their ratings are respectably in the top ten, there is still room to become even more elite.

This was the case in run defense, where Pittsburgh allowed just 37.4 first down yards, impressively third-best in the league. Compared to the league, they also failed in attack, with 71 attempts, which ranks eighth.

Where the Steelers defense can improve is in the first-down passing game. They allow 68.0 yards on first down, which is much lower at 18th, with opponents attempting 81, which is eighth.

To achieve elite status, first-down pass defense is the goal. A main reason for this is that I play a lot more deep zone coverage than I would like. While there are benefits like limiting big plays, perhaps balancing more diverse coverages would improve these numbers and create more advantageous second and third down situations to enjoy.

Another reason I wanted to include defensive results is that the New York Jets are the best defense in the NFL in this regard and Pittsburgh’s next opponent. Their first down yards allowed of 42.7 is the only rate allowed below 45 percent (lower numbers are best), making them easily the best defense to date in this regard.

So the Pittsburgh Steelers’ second-to-last offense faces the New York Jets’ best defense in terms of first-down yards achieved in Week 7. Pittsburgh should come out much cleaner on offense, as sledding will likely be difficult against the Jets’ strong unit. Here’s hoping they can surpass these stats on Sunday.

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think in the comments.