New Stat Shows Steelers Disturbing Lack of Explosive Plays in 2022

The Steelers offense may have improved down the stretch last year, but one thing it never found was a gear as an explosive offense. But just how bad did that lack of explosiveness on offense really get for the team? Well, if the stats are to be believed, it got historically concerning.

In Sharp Football preview, they touch on a concerning stat for the Steelers. For one, the team only registered 52 explosive plays, or plays of 20 or more yards, in 2022. That was 26th in the NFL. It is not a number that can be replicated by the team in 2023 if they want the offense to take a step.

But there’s one more concerning stat. The Steelers only scored two touchdowns from outside the redzone the entire season. It’s not too surprising when you realize the lack of passing touchdowns in the offense overall, but just how bad is that as a stat? No team had fewer touchdowns outside the redzone in last 30 years than the 2022 Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a historically bad number for an offense to post.

So, really, the team needs to kick their offense into a higher gear. They need to be more efficient and create more explosive plays across the football field. There are some promising signs, no doubt. The team’s rushing offense and Kenny Pickett were each rated within the top ten for EPA down the stretch after the bye week. But there’s more to be concerned about if the team is to be a top half of the league offense, which they should be.

It’s not one person that needs to make a change for that to happen. You can place blame on multiple position groups and coaches, but the improvement should be there for this team to get more out of an offense that gave them very little for most of last year.