After a few extra days of rest, the Steelers began their typical weekly routine to prepare for hosting the Jets Sunday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium. Even with the team 1-2 and reeling from a painful loss to the Browns in Cleveland, there was a strong sense of optimism Monday on the South Side.
"Change is coming," Chase Claypool said. "And I'm excited."
No, that's not the change fans are hoping for -- either one of them. Unless Mike Tomlin shakes things up and makes Kenny Pickett his starting quarterback or does the unprecedented and relieves Matt Canada of his duties as offensive coordinator, it'll be the same offense taking the field in six days.
How does the cliche go? About how insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?
The offense has been putrid over the first three weeks. They've only produced four touchdowns. They're averaging 4.7 yards per play, which tied for second-worst in the NFL. Mitch Trubisky is averaging 5.5 yards per passing attempt, which is dead last in football.
Even so, Tomlin has previously acknowledged the offense is a group in transition. Whether it's Trubisky or Pickett, there's a new quarterback. The offensive line has two new additions in Mason Cole and James Daniels. Even some of the core playmakers are very young and still learning the NFL game. Najee Harris and Pat Freiermuth are only in their second seasons and George Pickens was the team's second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
"It's too early to be frustrated," Claypool said. "Maybe in three, four weeks, I'll have a different answer, but right it's just figuring stuff out."
"I think we're really close. I don't think it's as bad as a lot of people think it is," Cole said. "We're still not good enough, but it really comes down to eleven guys doing their job. It's football, if one guy isn't doing their job, it's not going to look the way it's supposed to be. We just need eleven guys to execute on the same plays, it's going to be important for us."
The lack of explosion on offense has led to many fans calling for Canada's job and for Tomlin to hand over the keys of the offense over to Pickett. While Tomlin hasn't -- and won't -- make knee-jerk decisions, three games is enough of a sample size to see an overall affect on the team outside of scoring points.
The offense can't sustain drives. That puts the defense on the field more often, and that's a unit playing without their best player, T.J. Watt, as he recovers from a pectoral tear. The defense played over 100 snaps in Week 1, logged over 33 minutes in Week 2, then played over 36 minutes in the 29-17 loss to the Browns on a short week. And in the latter two games, the defensive front took a pounding from the Patriots' and Browns' respective running attacks, especially late in the games.
Thursday night, the Browns had a 14-play drive that produced a field goal, giving Cleveland a 16-14 lead. The Steelers' offense followed by going three and out. Then, the Browns had an 11-play drive that ended with a touchdown to extend the lead to 23-14. Once again, the Steelers' offense followed going three and out.
"We've gotta help our defense out," Cole said. "Consecutive three and outs for us are not good, and it killed our defense again. ... We need to help our defense out. It's important for us to possess the ball."
One way to possess the ball is running the football effectively. As I wrote about here on DK Pittsburgh Sports, the offense found success on the ground in the first half of Thursday night's loss, and it helped produce two touchdowns in the first half. As Cole pointed out, possessing the ball is the best way to benefit the team in all three phases of the game.
As incremental as its been, the offense has actually improved week after week. But, time is running out for the offense to figure things out. After the Steelers host the Jets, they travel to Buffalo, host the Buccaneers, then play the undefeated Dolphins and undefeated Eagles in back-to-back road games before the bye week.
The offense has to improve, and do it at a faster pace. That starts with playing a full 60 minutes. That's the "change" the Steelers are banking on moving forward.
"That's the plan," Cole said. "This league is tough. Everything is tough and it's no excuse, but we have to be better. And to win these tight games, we're going to have to be better for a complete game. Obviously, that's what we're trying to do is play a complete game on offense and be firing on all cylinders."
