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The Most Alarming Team Statistics Through 13 Weeks

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The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a massive, possibly season saving win against their rival, the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday afternoon. Mike Tomlin‘s team sits at 6-5-1 and is currently eighth in a complicated AFC Playoff picture. While the team has had inconsistencies with its play this year, there are certain areas that have been consistently bad. It will be crucial for the team to make adjustments down the stretch with a brutal schedule the remainder of December and into the month of January. Good play in the two months hasn’t been a strong trait the last three years with a record of 6-10 for Tomlin and co., so these areas need to improve. The most alarming team statistics through 13 weeks are listed below and they aren’t pretty (in alphabetical order):






Defensive Points Scored​


The Steelers are one of just seven teams to have not had the defense score this season. The Ravens and the Los Angeles Rams are the only other two teams above .500 to join them on the list. Keith Butler‘s defense was tied for fourth in the NFL last season with 20 points scored. With an offense that has been inconsistent and non-dynamic, the playmakers on defense need to find a way to get in the end zone at least a few times in December and January. Hopefully, Joe Haden is back soon, but I would also like to see Cameron Sutton and Minkah Fitzpatrick possibly take one back. Fitzpatrick averaged 24.6 yards per interception return in his career heading into 2021 and this year has just two interceptions for 18 total return yards. A defensive touchdown late in the season could be why the Steelers sneak into the playoffs.



Fourth Down Percentage​


Going for it on fourth down is always both exciting and nerve racking as a fan. But seeing the Steelers attempt to go for it has been far from successful. The offense has converted on just 30.8% of fourth down attempts this season. As we get into big boy football down the stretch, it might be imperative to convert on fourth down. The play calls by Matt Canada have been awfully questionable in these situations and I hope the team is practicing its fourth down and two-minute offense several times a week at practice. The defense is also allowing teams to convert on 53.3% of fourth down attempts. This is a key area of today’s NFL that goes unnoticed. Teams are going for it a whole lot more than they used to and both sides of the ball need to improve dramatically.



Kick Return Yards Allowed​


This has plagued the Steelers all season and it continues to through 12 games. Danny Smith‘s kickoff unit is allowing 32 yards per return for a total of 787 yards this year. That is bad enough for 28th in the NFL. Although we saw the Ravens go 99.5 yards for a touchdown on Sunday, not allowing opponents to start anywhere past their own 25 is a huge advantage most times. The more yards an offense has to travel for a score, the more likely it is that T.J. Watt makes a splash play or a member of the opposing offense makes a mistake. There has been slight improvement in this category as the Steelers were ranked last after four weeks, but needs to keep getting better.






Point Differential​


We can argue all day and say “a win’s a win,” but the goal in football is to score more points than the other team does. The Steelers are one of just two teams above .500 with a negative point differential (-42). The only other team with a winning record on this short list is the Los Angeles Chargers who have a differential of just -1. For reference, the three times the Steelers made the Super Bowl, they had point differentials of +131 (2005), +124 (2008) and +143 (2010). So yes, -42 is extremely bad. The Seattle Seahawks are 4-8 and sit at just -10. No one is expecting the Steelers to blow anyone out, but the offense needs to begin putting more points on the board and the defense needs to create more splash plays to give Ben Roethlisberger a shorter field.



Touchdowns Scored​


The Steelers are the only team with a winning record in the entire NFL that have scored less than 30 touchdowns. With only 25 touchdowns in 12 games this year, the 3-9 New York Jets have found the end zone more than the Steelers. This is a huge reason why the point differential is so poor. The next two games are against two teams in the top 12 in the league in scoring. The Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans are not going to play down to the Steelers level offensively so Roethlisberger needs to lead the team to more scoring drives. Not to mention a heating up Kansas City Chiefs squad right after. One touchdown and a few field goals won’t cut it. Chase Claypool, Najee Harris and Pat Freiermuth all need to step up more in the red zone just as we saw Diontae Johnson do on Sunday.



What team statistics bother you through 13 weeks of the regular season? Let us know in the comments below!

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topseed

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How about 29th in the league in rushing yards per game (86.9), and 30th in yards per rush (3.7)? Or maybe 27th in rushing yards allowed per game (130.9), and dead last in average yards per rush allowed (4.8)?
 

wig

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Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?
 
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