The Steelers were abysmal on offense. It was one of the worst offensive performances I have seen in the last 10 years from this team – a far cry from the offense that once featured Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell and Ben Roethlisberger at their peak. Statistically, the numbers reflected what was presented on the field.

With an additional game on the schedule for the first time, it was a natural to assume offensive production would be higher. The Steelers had the 9^th most plays from scrimmage (1,113), ranked behind only the Ravens, Cowboys, Bills, Buccaneers, Chiefs, Titans, Chargers and Cardinals – all teams that have dynamic offenses. Yet, it ranked 29^th in rushing offense, scored the 7^th fewest touchdowns (34), 2^nd fewest passing yards per attempt (6), and lowest yards per reception (9.5). They also had the most 3^rd down attempts in the league with 239 and only converted 38.9% of those into first downs. What went wrong?

The team was simply handicapped by an ultra-conservative gameplan led by a legendary Quarterback well beyond his prime and a below-par offensive line. Ben Roethlisberger, at age 39, was a game manager. He played a role similar to Peyton Manning in his final year with the Broncos; get the ball out quick, don’t turn the ball over, play efficiently. The difference was that Peyton Manning was supported by offensive weapons and a strong run game, whereas Ben Roethlisberger was working with an extremely young and inexperienced team around him. Big Ben lost two of his most trusted protectors C Maurkice Pouncey and G David DeCastro in the offseason and had been tasked to play behind a patchwork offensive line.

He responded by averaging an astonishing 2.20 seconds per pass attempt. They relied on a lot of quick slants, flat routes, and dump offs to the running backs. The young line ranked 17^th in the league in pass protection and 24^th in the league in run blocking. A quick passing game, led by a strong rushing attack, can still generate success. However, Steelers almost completely eliminated the deep passing game and the middle of the field from their gameplan. That allowed opposing teams to play a two-deep coverage with the safeties lined up within 10-15 yards of the line of scrimmage. The 29^th ranked rushing offense could not move the ball consistently, which hurt the passing attack and ultimately led to both suffering tremendously. What have the Steelers done to fix this for the upcoming season?

They went on an uncharacteristic free agent spending spree and signed a group of players to bolster the offense and help bring stability and dynamism to the offense. They signed game-manager QB Mitchell Trubisky to a two-year deal, drafted QB Kenny Pickett and WR George Pickens, and signed offensive linemen G James Daniels and C Mason Cole. They added youth, speed and (hopefully) a better offensive game plan that will open up the field, attack defenses and bring an extra element to this team. However, simply adding playmakers to a team is not the solution. They must improve the run game to support Trubisky and Pickett, attack the middle of the field, and change the game plan to add more pre-snap motions. Going back to old-school Steelers’ football with an emphasis on the run game will be the key to success for this offense.