Playoffs Highlight Two Flaws In Steelers’ Offensive Philosophy

If there are two things the remaining four playoff teams have that the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t, it’s aggression and creativity. There’s more to NFL success than just those elements, but to beat the best, it’s clear true contenders trust their offense to make plays in critical moments and creatively find ways to move the ball.

Through the first two rounds of the playoffs, teams have gone for it on fourth down 36 times. Of course, some of that is natural game circumstance. A team trailing late with the game – and their season – on the line is, of course, going to go for it just as the Steelers did on a failed 4th and 15 against the Baltimore Ravens. But the majority of these fourth downs aren’t desperation.

Per Pro Football Reference/Stat head, 22 of the 36 instances came either in the first three quarters or in the fourth quarter when the team with the ball was leading. Teams were rewarded for it. Here’s a breakdown and the results of some scenarios.

Fourth Down Success
First Half: 70-percent (7 of 10)

Team Leading In Fourth Quarter: 100-percent (8 of 8)

Overall: 81.8-percent (18 of 2022)

The only exception of the fourth-quarter lead that I didn’t even include in my study was the Chiefs’ intentional safety to close out their win over the Houston Texans. These were gambles, and if they failed, coaches would feel the heat, but they came out ahead most of the time. A near 82-percent conversion rate is excellent and justifies the risk.

Of the four remaining teams, here’s the number of total times they’ve gone for it on fourth down this postseason:

Washington Commanders: 9

Buffalo Bills: 3

Philadelphia Eagles: 2

Kansas City Chiefs: 1

The Chiefs have the fewest, but they’ve only played one game this postseason compared to everyone else’s two. The Commanders have easily been the most aggressive team, converting six of their nine.

Mike Tomlin may discuss not “living in our fears,” but that’s what Pittsburgh primarily does. They punted on 4th and a half-yard early against the Ravens, not trusting their offense to gain a foot. Since 2022, the Steelers are 27th in fourth-down attempts across the first three quarters with just 28. Compare that to the Lions and their whopping 71 attempts. Understandably, the Steelers trust their defense more than their offense, but that only gets you so far against the big dogs.

There was creativity, too-even by losing teams. The Detroit Lions continued reaching in their bag of tricks against Washington, borrowing a play from the Steelers in 2004 during a touchdown drive. Not everything they did worked; WR Jameson Williams threw a costly interception, but the Lions got this far because of Dan Campbell’s all-in attitude and OC Ben Johnson’s creativity. It was a successful marriage.

The other teams were more conventional. But even “base” calls had wrinkles, like the Eagles’ BASH concept on Jalen Hurts’ long touchdown run. A counter run where the back goes opposite, the “BA” in “BASH” stands for “back away” of the pullers. The quarterback can hand the ball off or keep the ball and follow the linemen. Hurts did the latter to a monster run.

The Commanders got creative during the season. WR Dyami Brown should’ve had a late-season touchdown pass that was somehow dropped by the receiver, while OT Trent Scott caught a touchdown in a shootout win over the Cincinnati Bengals for Jayden Daniels’ first career touchdown pass.

The Chiefs always have interesting red zone calls, while TE Travis Kelce is a threat to lateral the ball in open grass.

Truthfully, aggression matters more than trickery. Trick plays involve more risks, and offenses must walk before they run. Having a successful foundation like the Bills, Chiefs, Commanders, and Eagles matters more than the occasional trickery. Clearly, Pittsburgh’s not at that point.

These aren’t the only two elements. Quarterback play is fundamental, and these teams have developed home-grown talent. Taking care of the football is also critical. The four teams standing didn’t turn the ball over once in the Divisional Round. Special teams can’t be forgotten, either. Perhaps the Texans beat the Chiefs if they don’t have missed and blocked kicks while allowing the opening kickoff to be run back deep into their territory.

But there is a mindset the Steelers lack. An aggressive, “we’re going to win” viewpoint instead of playing not to lose. The confidence to dial up trick or interesting plays, knowing the criticism on the other side if they fail. Even the ’04 and ’05 Steelers, run and defense-heavy teams, hit the gas in the playoffs with trick plays, more passes, and overall aggression. The more talent Pittsburgh adds, the more they prove themselves, the more confidence that creates. But until the Steelers play with the winning mentality all competitive modern-era teams have, they won’t get much further than they are right now.