The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently riding a two-game losing streak as they prepare to take on the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6 of the 2024 NFL season. A big reason for these two losses have been the slow starts from the offense. The running game has been stagnant, and the execution of the offense as a whole early in games has been concerning. The unit seems to come alive in the second half, but those second half boosts haven't been able to capture any victories over the last two weeks.
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Steelers' Mike Tomlin on the sideline as Pittsburgh loses to the Dallas Cowboys in 2024.
There was a lot of optimism surrounding the hire of Arthur Smith as Pittsburgh's new offensive coordinator, but so far, the offense seems to be struggling like it has in recent years. So far in the 2024 season, Pittsburgh's offense ranks in the bottom 10 of the entire NFL when it comes to points and yards, which isn't much of an improvement from former Offensive Coordinator, Matt Canada.
Bill Cowher appeared on The Silver And Black Show on Friday, where he talked about what he wants to see from the Pittsburgh offense.
"Well again, I think they've got an identity on offense. I'd like to see them open up the offense a little bit more just because they just don't have any big plays right now and they're not able to create that. So, I think that's the only thing I would say with them. They have an identity that is playing to the strength of their team which has been their defense."
Pittsburgh has struggled when it comes to moving the ball down the field on chunk plays. During their Week 5 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, it was clear this was an area that hurt the team. The defense gave up many plays deep down the field and the Pittsburgh offense couldn't match that kind of production.
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Steelers' offensive leaders Justin Fields and Arthur Smith during warmups.
A big part of fixing this is the coaching staff trusting Justin Fields to air the ball out. He was successful in doing this during the team's Week 1 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, as he found George Pickens for multiple deep passes that set up scoring drives. They also found a big play in Week 3 when Fields found Calvin Austin III for a 55-yard touchdown.
Fields has been successful when throwing the ball deep, and he has limited his mistakes, as he has only thrown one interception in his five starts. Pittsburgh has barely been able to move the ball on the ground as the team is currently averaging 3.7 yards per attempt, which is 29th in the league. The chunk plays will need to come from Fields and the passing game, or the quarterback using his legs. Pickens is one of the best deep ball threats in the NFL, and after his clear frustrations in Week 5, Pittsburgh better put an emphasis on getting him the ball against the Raiders.
Steelers' Mike Tomlin Needs To Let Justin Fields Air It Out In Las Vegas
Smith may be the play-caller, but it is quite obvious the offense plays the way Head Coach Mike Tomlin wants it to. Tomlin prefers a conservative approach offensively. This revolves around the offense protecting the football and keeping the defense in a good spot. This clearly hasn't been working early on in games, and the coaching staff needs to allow Fields to get comfortable throwing the football.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin looks on during an away game.
Russell Wilson is now fully healthy, but he will be the backup quarterback to Fields on Sunday. If the coaching staff wants to give Fields any chance of keeping his starting job, they need to give him a fair shot in the passing game. Even a casual fan can tell how conservative Pittsburgh's offense has been playing, and that might need to change in order for Pittsburgh's losing streak to come to an end.
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