With two games under their belts, it's becoming clear that the Pittsburgh Steelers are broken on offense. While they were able to pull out a win despite their lackluster play on that side of the ball in the season opener, they weren't as fortunate in Week 2. The offense mustered a lone field goal in a 20-3 defeat at the hands of the New England Patriots.
"We just didn't get into a rhythm," Rodgers said postgame. "We had too many three-and-outs again. I didn't feel like there was anybody that had an exceptional game out there.
We all played below our standard." The three points scored were tied for the fewest points in any career game that Rodgers has started and finished. So far, the Steelers have 499 total yards through two games, averaging out to 249.5 yards per game. That is the fewest total yards through two games in any season in Aaron Rodgers' career, as well as Mike McCarthy's coaching career.
What has been especially jarring is the lack of explosion from the Pittsburgh offense. Their 3.8 yards per play average ranks at the bottom of the league, and they have just two plays that have gone for 25 or more yards. In the loss to New England on Sunday, the offense averaged 3.5 yards per play, and Rodgers averaged 5.4 air yards per pass attempt.
To take it a step further, 13 of Rodgers' 39 pass attempts were at or behind the line of scrimmage. He attempted just three passes 20-plus yards down the field. Overall, 24 of Rodgers' 79 pass attempts this season have been at or behind the line of scrimmage.
The rapport (or lack thereof) between Rodgers and DK Metcalf has been one of the key reasons why the offense has been anemic. The wideout has caught just eight of his 19 targets this season and has already tallied three drops (had four drops in all of last season). Yet another drop for DK Metcalf!!!!! #yips #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/5LH7Dl7sSo Beyond their inability to connect on big plays, the Steelers have simply been unable to string together positive plays to extend drives.
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