Arthur Smith vowed to use every offensive weapon in the playoffs, but Fields’ limited role and Steelers’ struggles tell a different story.
Remember during the build-up to the Wild-Card matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, when Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith claimed that Pittsburgh would “burn the boats” against Baltimore due to the playoffs being single-game elimination?
“No stone left unturned,” Smith had said, but Saturday’s Wild-Card loss showcased the same old Steelers, with the ever-athletic Justin Fields used as a benchwarmer in favor of the aging Russell Wilson.
Smith claimed the offense would use everything at its disposal, referring to the idea of the Fields package seeing more usage in the playoffs. With that in mind, why on Earth did Justin Fields only see two snaps on offense—an offense that failed to score more than 14 points?
Remember all the Justin Fields buzz pregame? Played 2 snaps.
Fields’ time on the field saw the quarterback attempt zero rushes and act more as a decoy than anything else. His lone pass attempt fell incomplete under pressure from Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey.
Fans are understandably calling for HC Mike Tomlin’s job, but perhaps Arthur Smith deserves equal criticism for the offense’s late-season collapse in 2024.
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive struggles persist despite new quarterbacks, raising questions about coaching and front office decisions.
One of the biggest criticisms of the Pittsburgh Steelers over the past few seasons has been their inability to get quality play out of the quarterback position. The Black and Gold faithful hoped that the acquisitions of QBs Russell Wilson and Justin Fields in 2024 would change that.
However, the Wilson- and Fields-led offense finished with the same mediocre 10-7 record as the Kenny Pickett-led 2023 Steelers.
In 2023, the Pittsburgh Steelers finished 25th in total passing offense under Pickett, Trubisky, and Rudolph, while Wilson and Fields led the Steel City to a similar fate in 2024: ranked 24th in passing offense with an incredibly underwhelming improvement of just 101 yards.
The statistical evidence doesn’t lie: if Fields and Wilson aren’t to blame, neither was Pickett.
All three QBs had to deal with incompetent offensive play-calling, terrible pass protection, and questionable decision-making by HC Mike Tomlin.
Tomlin’s refusal to accept blame for his hiring of subpar offensive coordinators is second to none, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are unlikely to improve on offense until the front office gets involved.
Bo Nix isn’t helping Bryan Harsin’s case on the Plains.
The Week 6 matchup in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry is pivotal for both teams involved. On one hand, you have the Georgia Bulldogs, who are coming off a national championship.
In the last two weeks, they have looked mortal against Kent State and Missouri. They could flex their muscles and prove the last two games were nothing more than a blip on the radar. On the other hand, we have the visitors who are looking to turn things back into their favor and snap a five-game skid in the series.
It is no secret that the Auburn Tigers’ offense has struggled this season. Through five games, the unit ranks No. 13 in the SEC in points per game against Power Five opponents. Harsin’s calling card has been offense and this week he is tasked with scoring on the SEC’s top defense. They surrender just 10.8 points per game.
It will take a Herculean effort against Kirby Smart’s defense.
Offensive Rankings under Bryan Harsin
John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
2021-22 Rankings in the SEC against Power Five opponents. Rankings are listed in parentheses.
Year
PPG
Pass YPG
Pass TDs
Rush YPG
Rush TDs
Total Off.
2021
22.4 (13)
241.1 (7)
9 (12)
125.0 (11)
14 (7)
366.1 (10)
2022
22.1 (12)
256.0 (6)
3 (6)
100.7 (11)
2 (12)
356.7 (9)
The numbers look comparable to last season’s team that finished 6-7 after the bowl game loss to the Houston Cougars. The performance on the field along with Auburn’s recruiting efforts are why Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports has the head coach at the top of his hot seat rankings.
Unfortunately, Harsin is a veteran of this space. He was third behind Frost and Edwards on the initial list. At some point, being the Auburn coach becomes less about the job you’re doing and more about those shadowy rich dudes in who decide your fate. Harsin did himself no favors in a 29-point loss to Penn State. Then that clunky game against Missouri almost felt like a loss. A home loss against LSU certainly did not help. The next two are at Georgia and red-hot Ole Miss. This is painful to say: Harsin might not make it to Halloween of Year 2
Another indictment for Bryan Harsin has to be the performance of Bo Nix with the Oregon Ducks.
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Following the performance against Georgia to open the season, we have seen a very different [autotag]Bo Nix[/autotag]. He is among the top quarterbacks in the nation through five games with his new team. A performance that is very much needed on the Plains after what we have seen from T.J. Finley, Robby Ashford, and Holden Geriner to start the season.
Bo Nix at Auburn in ’21 vs Bo Nix at Oregon in ’22
Comp%
Yards
YPA
TDs
INTs
Auburn (10 Games)
61.0
2,294
7.1
11
3
Oregon (5 Games)
68.9
1,261
7.8
12
3
Oregon Projection
68.9
3,026
7.8
29
7
Current Auburn QBs
57.0
1,148
8.1
4
8
Why is Bo Nix having so much success in Eugene? Quite simply he is having the best season of his career since his freshman season. That year his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach was Kenny Dillingham. Who did first-year head coach Dan Lanning put in charge of his offense? Yes, Kenny Dillingham.
As far as Harsin, he is a coach known for offensive prowess but when you look at this football team, his unit has become a liability to winning football games. Just look at how they play in the second half of football games.
