Steelers' Offense Needs Less Zig and More Zag

Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Chris Krout. Follow him on Twitter @Chris_Krout

There is no question that fans are clamoring for more life out of this Steelers offense. Last year, Matt Canada was able to coach this offense to 23rd in yards per game and 26th in PPG (The Chiefs and the Eagles were #1 and #2 respectably in 2022). That is just not going to get it done in a division that features Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson, and a conference abound with high-level quarterback play. The Steelers have made improvements in the offseason, with the signings of FA guards Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig, as well as 1st round pick Broderick Jones, clearly targeted at making life a little easier for sophomore QB Kenny Pickett.

One change that many Yinzers were clamoring for -- the firing of Matt Canada, did not happen, meaning the hottest seat in Pittsburgh coming into 2023 is the Offensive Coordinator. 

The Steelers have a clear vision for 2023 – Run. The. Football. This is something that warms the hearts of old school Steelers fans like me. Throughout the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers, smash-mouth, hard-nosed football has been the way to victory. Powerful north-south running backs have always been the cornerstones of the historically great Steelers teams – the late-great Franco Harris, Jerome Bettis, and now Najee Harris. While Najee still has plenty of question marks of his own that need to be answered heading into his 3rd NFL season, the Steelers believe that running the ball remains the answer that it long has been for the franchise.

That leads me to my main questions that all Yinz should be asking -- is running the ball the easy answer? The league is trending to a passer’s paradise; can the Steelers’ plan of zigging when everyone else is zagging result in a winning formula? Is this the year that Matt Canada finally brings it all together? Let’s take a look at some of the top rushing attacks in the NFL over recent years:

• The Chicago Bears were the best running team in football last season, averaging 177.3 rushing yards per game (Steelers=121.9 RYPG) which was able to lead them all the way to the #1 overall pick in the draft. The hope with the running game is that it will open up the passing attack and it failed to do so in the windy city where the Bears had the worst passing offense in the NFL in 2022. I do believe that the Steelers do have much better weapons today than the Bears did last season. 

• The Baltimore Ravens, since drafting Lamar Jackson, have been consistently a top rushing offense in the league. Jackson’s ability to move with the football is inarguably incredible. Since taking over, Jackson has led the Ravens to a 45-16 regular season record, however, this running team has a 1-4 playoff record and zero Conference Championship appearances. They have been a bottom tier passing attack and they hope that new offensive additions will be the remedy since running the ball has not been the answer. They finished 5th worst in the league in terms of passing the ball in 2022. 

• The last time a team with a 1,000-yard rusher won the Superbowl was 2016(!). The Patriots had LeGarrette Blount finish with 1,161 yards that year before they completed the historical 28-3 comeback over the Falcons in the Superbowl (the Eagles and Miles Sanders hoped to overwrite this stat last year, but lost to the Chiefs). Najee was able to muster out 1,000+ rushing yards in both of his first two seasons and will likely have the best offensive line of his short career he should reach that mark again in 2023.

• Run first teams such as the Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and the Indianapolis Colts have also not fared well in terms of post-season success over the past few years. The 49ers are a team consistently talked about as a top rushing team in the NFL and they have seen their fair share of playoff blunders as well. On the other hand, teams that have more air versatility such as the Chiefs, Bills, Bengals, and the Buccaneers have had quite a bit of post-season success (Chiefs and Bucs winning the Superbowl, Bengals made it to one, and the Bills have been consistent contenders).

To win in this league, of course you need to run the football, however, it needs to be well coached. Arguably, the Steelers have better offensive talent than many of the teams forementioned. I am by no means saying that it is impossible for the Steelers to succeed by being a run-first offense. Rather, I am questioning Matt Canada’s ability to be the coach that has success in the post-season with a running offense. Canada’s system showed flashes in the back half of the 2022 season, but he has a long way to go before we can crown him. The AFC has elite QB talent and many of these teams are going to be putting up some serious PPG. The Steelers are going to live and die by the running game, which is concerning because 18 PPG is just not going to get it done in today’s NFL. Canada has A LOT of weight on his shoulders, and I am very interested to see what his plans are for this Steelers offense.