The Pittsburgh Steelers were sent packing into the 2025 offseason after a brutal loss to the Baltimore Ravens. While the 2024 season ended with a postseason bid, there were areas of improvement and areas of decline. For the first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, it was a season that began with promise followed by immense frustration.
When Smith was hired last January, the hope was that there would be more in the 2019-2020 Tennessee Titans offenses rather than the 2021-2023 Atlanta Falcons offenses.
The offense began to heat up when Russell Wilson stepped in against the Jets, but it seemed to revert to frustrating times. Despite this, there is both reason for concern and optimism.
First, here is a quick snapshot of the 2024 Steelers’ basic offensive production.
| Metric | Per Game | League Rank |
| Offensive Yards Per Game | 319.4 YPG | 23rd |
| Pass YPG | 192 YPG | 27th |
| Rush YPG | 127.4 YPG | 11th |
| Offensive Points | 22.4 PPG | 16th |
At first glance, the obvious can be deduced: points per game and rushing yards per game were up while passing yards per game stagnated.
However, when we dig into the facts and analytics we will find that despite these trends, the Steelers offense was set up to find its eventual downfall.
| Metric | 2024 Overall Result | League Rank |
| Overall Offensive EPA | -0.027 | 20th |
| Overall Offensive SR | 40.7% | 26th |
| Dropback EPA | 0.051 | 19th |
| Dropback SR | 43.8% | 22nd |
| Rush EPA | -0.124 | 24th |
| Rush SR | 36.9% | 28th |
On the one hand, the offense overall did what it was designed to do according to the Expect Points Average rankings. The Steelers committed to the run game in an effort to create big plays downfield. Unfortunately on the other, this did not lead to the effectiveness Pittsburgh was seeking.
They ranked 19th in the league in Dropback EPA and a 22nd-ranked Dropback Success Rate. Even if it ranked better than the 24th-ranked EPA and 28th Success Rate for the Rushing Offense, these results are less than stellar.
Knowing this information, it will now come down to WHY are these trends happening? That is where analytics can’t paint the full picture. It comes down to each individual’s assignment, the defense’s reactions/alignments, and ultimately the small details.
One aspect that is pointed out about Arthur Smith’s offense is the choice of personnel usage. In 2024, the Steelers ranked 24th in 11 personnel usage – 51.1% usage compared to the league average of 60.7%.
When lined up with 11 personnel, the Steelers passed the ball 55.8% of the time. With this, they also ranked 10th in EPA when using 11 personnel.
While the Steelers didn’t use 11 personnel enough, they were successful overall using it. It will take a long year of review but the key takeaways in the Quick Analytics:
-The offense operated as expected – but not well enough.
-The Steelers’ rushing attack was very, very unproductive.
-The Steelers’ passing attack relied on big plays off of a commitment to run.
-Steelers missed opportunities in limited, successful personnel packages.
It will be a long offseason for the Steelers with a lot of decisions to make on personnel including quarterback, receivers, and running backs.
Regardless, Smith has a lot of work ahead of him to lift an offense that, despite an increased baseline production, lacks true effectiveness that is obvious in the analytics and win column.