The Steelers offense has underwhelmed in their first two games of the preseason with just 15 points and two losses to show.
It has caused many to panic following an offseason full of change in Pittsburgh, but new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith isn’t too worried quite yet.
“Preseason can distort reality, good or bad. We’ve all seen it,” Smith said. “That’s not acceptable, but at the same time, you’d rather go through that now then have that happen Week 1.”
Smith has a point. Although he wasn’t a member of the 2023 Steelers coaching staff, Pittsburgh had itself a preseason to remember. Through three games, the Steelers averaged 26 points per game as quarterback Kenny Pickett finished with a perfect passer rating and an undefeated record.
Since then, however, Pittsburgh fired former offensive coordinator Matt Canada, failed to win a playoff game for the seventh straight year and Pickett was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.
That means you shouldn’t let your eyes fool you this time of year. Of course, the earlier success, the better, but the Steelers are working with several new pieces, most notably quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
Wilson has the “pole position” to be Pittsburgh’s Week 1 starter, but last weekend was his first preseason action after injuring his calf before the start of training camp.
On Tuesday, Smith praised Wilson’s resilience.
“I give Russ a lot of credit for going out there,” Smith added. “I think a lot of guys in that situation may have tapped out. He hadn’t had enough reps. He wanted to go out there.”
Wilson and the first-team offense were originally slated for roughly four series, but he decided to stick it out for an extra couple of series after the disappointing start.
While they were still held scoreless, Smith still gained some extra respect for Wilson.
“Would never put somebody out there that wasn’t medically cleared, but he hasn’t gotten a lot of reps,” Smith finished. “I don’t care how many years you’ve been in this thing … the great ones want to get out there.”
The Steelers offense will have one last opportunity to bounce back in the preseason when they travel to Detroit to face the Lions on Saturday, but even with their early struggles, remember to relax.
All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
