Immediately, I wished to take a look at how dashing offenses have fared by Week 4, utilizing success charges by down, recreation halves, and weekly views as nicely. Let’s leap proper in.
First, let’s take a look at early down success charges league extensive (with scrambles, kneels, and aborted/penalty performs excluded):
First Down Rush Success = A rush that beneficial properties 40-percent or extra of the wanted yardage.
Second Down Rush Success = A rush that beneficial properties 50-percent or extra of the wanted yardage.
Very telling visible. We see that Pittsburgh’s working recreation has totally struggled on first down to this point in 2024, with an abysmal 35.7-percent success charge that ranks thirty first by 4 video games. That’s painful to see, creating much less advantageous second and third down conditions.
Additionally, contemplating first down is probably the most frequent by far, this impacts the overall dashing success charge probably the most. If this could enhance, it’ll go a protracted method to the Steelers enjoying extra to their id on offense. Right here’s to hoping that happens beginning subsequent week towards the Dallas Cowboys, who’re the one offense with a worse first down dashing success charge (34.1-percent).
Surprisingly excellent news for Pittsburgh on second down, with a nicely above-average 64.3 success charge on second down, the eighth-best dashing offense to this point. The Steelers even have the second-most makes an attempt (27), in comparison with tying for twenty seventh on first down. Defenses count on run extra on first down, and the charges present Pittsburgh’s working recreation has capitalized on second down.
Second and lengthy runs are one thing we scream on the tv about at Steelers Depot. Slicing these down would doubtless result in an elite quantity, and in the end much less/higher late down conditions.
Talking of which, listed here are late downs, the place third and fourth downs that decide up a primary down are thought-about a hit:
Again to bottoming outcomes, with Pittsburgh’s 47.5-percent late down dashing success rating twenty sixth within the NFL. Sure, generally it’s a cat-and-mouse recreation on third and lengthy with the Steelers robust protection and a willingness to punt it away, dwelling to see one other drive. However, the discouraging third and shorts, unable to select up a primary down too usually as a run-oriented workforce has been reasonably irritating. Knock on wooden this turns round quickly.
Now for the complete image, whole dashing success charges:
In totality, the dashing offense for the Pittsburgh Steelers rank twenty fifth in success charge presently, at 47.9-percent. That isn’t ok for this groups id. For added context, the NFL common by 4 video games is 52.2-percent, and even some robust groups are above 60-percent. For instance, the reigning Tremendous Bowl champion Chiefs high the league with a 65.2-percent success charge.
Pleasant reminder, scrambles are excluded from this knowledge, so these charges largely replicate how working backs have fared of their offenses. Right here’s some Steelers RB numbers that add to the story.
Najee Harris: 68 makes an attempt, 3.4 yards per try
Cordarrelle Patterson: 16 makes an attempt, 5.8 yards per try
Jaylen Warren: 14 makes an attempt, 3.9 yards per try
Aaron Shampklin: 1 try, 5.0 yards per try
Not best for Harris to say the least, who simply has probably the most carries. So many elements, just like the offensive line that has been riddled with accidents and inconsistent efficiency, and the way defenses recreation plan. Final weeks abysmal 19 yards on 13 carries (1.5 YPA) was most painful to this point when Indianapolis performed eight males within the field 23.1-percent of the time towards Harris.
He hovered round 70 yards the opposite three video games to this point, with two of them going through eight field defenders at 10-percent or much less. Week Two was the best charge towards Harris (29.4) in 2024 however nonetheless posted 69 yards (4.1 YPA) towards the Denver protection who’re within the high ten in YPA allowed. The Colts have allowed the second-most rush yards this season, so hopefully Harris’ worst dashing recreation final week was a painful outlier of Steelers beating Steelers.
Patterson has the very best YPA for Pittsburgh RBs, and was a constructive final recreation. He had six carries and a wholesome 7.2 YPA, and even Shampklin (lately on the apply squad) was additionally in a position to reel off a five-yarder. So, we see there was a transparent goal to cease Harris.
Shampklin’s elevation got here with Warren lacking the sport on account of harm, hampered this 12 months nd missing his regular effectiveness when wholesome. In addition, Warren is probably not again anytime quickly. Patterson additionally left with an ankle harm, so the battered place room will doubtless be leaning on Harris much more, with hopefully improved line play and higher outcomes shifting ahead.
I used to be additionally curious to see how rush offenses have carried out by half:
Curiously, the charges have been eerily related, in comparison with my expectation of first halves being noticeably worse contemplating sluggish begins from the Steelers offense. As an alternative, each are below-average. Pittsburgh’s 48.0-percent success charge within the first half ranks twenty second, whereas 47.8-percent after halftime lands twenty third. Not a lot of a narrative right here, apart from persistently poor.
To wrap up, let’s take a look at a weekly breakdown for added context:
Regardless of the Week 4 loss, we see that Pittsburgh is coming off their solely above=common dashing success charge on offense of 2024. They posted 60.0-percent success, largely from Patterson. This tied for thirty fifth out of the 128 video games performed to this point, reasonably good however there’s room to enhance.
As you would possibly count on, final recreation featured Pittsburgh’s finest outcomes on early downs: 54.5-percent on first, and a 72.7-percent second down success charge. The latter ties for twenty third, contributing to such a excessive whole second down success charge I broke down earlier.
In any other case, the Steelers have been beneath the NFL common of 52.2-percent every week. Week 1 was their second-best (50.0), in comparison with 46.4-percent the earlier recreation, and 36.7 in Week Two. The latter was the Thirteenth-worst dashing success charge within the NFL this season, which is able to hopefully be the groups lowest quantity in 2024.
Encouraging although is an upward swing since. Dissecting this additional, listed here are Pittsburgh’s down outcomes per recreation:
Week One: First Down – 38.5. Second Down – 58.3. Late Downs – 55.6. Whole – 50.0
Week Two: First Down – 25.0. Second Down – 63.6. Late Downs – N/A. Whole – 36.7
Week Three: First Down – 31.3. Second Down – 62.5. Late Downs – 75.0. Whole – 46.4
Week 4: First Down – 54.5. Second Down – 72.7. Late Downs – 33.3. Whole – 60.0
Good enhancements total, with the exception final week being late downs, which in fact killed some drives. Knock on wooden Pittsburgh stays above-the-line this week, placing their most full dashing efficiency on show towards Dallas, and onward. Accidents to the working again and offensive line rooms complicates this hope on paper, however this was additionally true final recreation, and optimistically “subsequent man up” continues.
Some particular enchancment areas to concentrate on must be first and late downs, which might go a good distance in Pittsburgh bettering their whole success charge, and personally would like to see first half develop into an above-average quantity. Reaching these feats together with remaining robust on second down would play superbly into their targets on offense, and fulfilling their id extra persistently.
