MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- There are times where you have to do some serious digging to find the root problems with a 2-5 football team.
Then, there are times where the answers are blatantly obvious. And, it's even more magnified when the players point out the reason.
"It's a little harder to score when it's, like, a 10-15 play drive, because everything has to go right," Chase Claypool said after Sunday night's 16-10 loss to the Dolphins. "If you're nickel-and-diming, you get 5 yards a play, which is fine for time of possession, but sometimes we just want to go score now."
Preparing for my trip back to Pittsburgh, I set up shop at a coffee shop to answer my Live Qs and brush over some stats from Sunday night's game. Then, I came across something that hit me so hard a hand might as well have reached out from the laptop screen and slapped me in the face:
NFL NEXT GEN STATS
Week 7 route charts.
Notice the massive expanse of nothingness in the middle of the field on George Pickens' route chart? Notice the polar opposite with Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill?
The Dolphins attacked the Steelers' zone coverage throughout the night, and at times, moved the ball at will. Terrell Edmunds has had a solid season and Minkah Fitzpatrick is one of the most feared safeties in the NFL.
Did that stop Miami from fighting fire with fire by sending their playmakers into the heart of the Pittsburgh defense and trusting them to make plays?
Nope, and it helped their offense move the football down the field in chunks.
Pickens may be a rookie receiver, but he has passed every test thus far. He has made sensational catches, including this one Sunday night:
But, Pickens can also be used over the middle. It has actually happened this season. Here's Pickens' route chart from the Week 4 loss to the Jets:
NFL NEXT GEN STATS
Of the Steelers' route charts available via NFL Next Gen Stats, the only players with anything consistently over the middle are Pat Freiermuth and Claypool. That makes sense since Freiermuth is a tight end and Claypool plays out of the slot the majority of the time. Naturally, their routes have to start in the middle of the field.
Pickens and Diontae Johnson on the other hand? The middle of the field is foreign territory to them.
NFL NEXT GEN STATS
And the thing is, Johnson can be used over the middle of the field. Even with a simple drag route, look what Johnson was able to do when he's hit in stride and he can actually use his athleticism after the catch:
It's one thing to think other teams are running their offenses one way while the Steelers do the opposite, failing miserably in the process.
Then, it's something else entirely when the evidence is right there in front of anyone who wants to see it.
"I just think we need more go balls. Like, damn, not enough go balls," Claypool said. "We've got playmakers. I haven't had a go ball all year. George needs more, 'Tae needs more. I'm not saying that's on the play calling, I'm just saying we need to try to find a way to scheme it up."
