Tag: Steelers stats

Steelers 4th-down conversation rate a disservice to the talent on the roster

The Steelers were among the worst in the NFL in converting fourth downs.

The story of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 season was how poorly the re-tooled offense performed. Statistically, there was no good news for the Steelers offense. This was a sore spot for head coach Mike Tomlin in every post-game press conference, especially when it came to possession downs.

This brings us to the Steelers and their fourth-down conversion rate. As you can see from the graphic below, few teams were as bad on fourth down as the Steelers. According to Pro Football Reference, the Steelers went for it 18 times in 2024. They converted seven of those. Of those 18, six of them were passing plays, which only resulted in a conversion.

For a roster that has running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren along with quarterback Justin Fields, this is inexcusable. There was some level of disconnect between the talent on this roster and the coaching decisions made by Tomlin. Of all the cases of misusing the players on offense, this has to rank right up there with the unwillingness to throw to the middle of the field.

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Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. set historical mark as a rookie

Joey Porter did something no other rookie cornerback has ever done before.

The demands on rookies in the NFL seem to go up significantly every year. Thankfully it seems as if rookies get to the league more prepared than ever before. Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers got themselves a great one in cornerback Joey Porter Jr.

Technically a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Porter ended up playing in all 17 games with 11 starts. On the season, Porter played 807 defensive snaps and did something no other rookie had ever done before. Porter only allowed 24 receptions, best of all time among rookie cornerbacks with at least 800 snaps.

Here’s how the top seven break down:

1) Joey Porter Jr.: 24
2) Sauce Gardner: 33
3) Marshon Lattimore: 36
4) Jaylon Johnson: 41
5) Pat Surtain II: 49
6) Jaire Alexander: 51
7) Jalen Ramsey: 54

Porter was the best rookie cornerback in the NFL last season. Porter took it very personally when he slid and saw four cornerbacks go ahead of him. But everything worked out perfectly as Porter was selected by the team where his father was a star and he gets to carry on that legacy.

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Promising stat offers hope for future of Justin Fields with Steelers

Justin Fields is as good as any quarterback in the NFL throwing downfield on the move.

Make no mistake, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields has talent. There are things he can do in his game that few other quarterbacks can do. But thanks to a coaching staff in Chicago that wasn’t sure what to do with those skills, his first three seasons have been a series of massive peaks and valleys.

Now Fields is in Pittsburgh and while we aren’t sure if he will be the starting quarterback, he does have a great shot to develop in a stable setting with a future Hall of Fame quarterback and head coach to learn from.

When it comes to Fields game, a few numbers really stand out. One was shared by NFL writer Jarrett Bailey. He noted when Fields is on the move and throwing the football downfield, his catchable pass rate is 100 percent. Best in the NFL.

Fields also has the distinction of being one of only three quarterbacks to throw for 40 or more touchdowns and rush for more than 2,000 yards in their first three NFL seasons. Fields also has 14 rushing touchdowns during that same stretch.

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