Steelers OC Arthur Smith Reveals Key to Fixing Red Zone Woes

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Steelers red zone problems have been a significant issue in the last few weeks. In Sunday’s 18-16 win over the Baltimore Ravens, the offense went 0 for 4 inside the 20. The Steelers rank 30th in red zone scoring this season, recording touchdowns on just 44.4% of trips. In the last three weeks, that rate is second-worst in the league at 25%.

The Steelers sit atop of the AFC North at 8-2 and appear to be legitimate contenders in the AFC. However, the red zone woes have to be fixed if they want to make any noise in the playoffs. Relying on six Chris Boswell field goals to win is a risky proposition.

“We got to do a better job in the mid red zone, high-low red. When it’s first and 10 or whatever it is, we are not getting to second and 1. That’s where we have kind of stalled out,” Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said on Tuesday. “The biggest thing that concerns me overall is that we haven’t turned the ball a lot, but that’s two weeks in a row in close games that we have turned the ball over in the red zone and came away with no points. That’s stuff that you have to fix because that can cost you.”

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks Justin Fields and Russell Wilson after a win over the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 17, 2023. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

Since Russell Wilson took over at quarterback in Week 7, the Steelers are 7-for-20 in red-zone situations. Wilson has also struggled as a passer in the tight red area, completing just 7 of 24 passes.

Justin Fields was significantly better in the deep area of the red zone. In Fields’ 11 drives, the Steelers scored eight touchdowns and one field goal. In Wilson’s the Steelers scored four touchdowns and five field goals. Fields was stopped on downs once in Atlanta, and Jaylen Warren’s fumble against the Washington Commanders was the other non-scoring drive.

That’s 5.4 points per drive for Fields and 3.9 points per drive for Wilson. At Wilson’s rate of 2.75 such drives per game, that’s over four points per game the Steelers are leaving on the table with their less-efficient red zone offense.

Implementing Fields in the red zone could be beneficial for the offense. Fields’ had two key runs in Sunday’s win over the Ravens.

“We haven’t been bashful about our intentions,” head coach Mike Tomlin said of Fields. “I know sometimes you think we make stuff up, but he is a capable dude. We’re going to utilize him. He’s really talented. I’m excited about both of these quarterbacks we have on our roster. They’re both going to be reasons why we’re going to be successful and have been. Equally as important as that is they’re really good people, man. They’re supportive of each other. They’re ‘hand-in-the-pile’ guys, and Justin has really reflected that.”

Smith believes Fields is more than just a gadget guy.

“I don’t view Justin as a gadget guy. He’s a hell of a football player,” Smith said. “Putting another dynamic football player out there certainly helped us. Obviously he wants to help the team. I still view Justin as a premium starter. We have two starting quarterbacks. It’s a very unique situation.

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Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.