For plays beginning between the 11 and the 20, their average starting location was just inside the 16-yard line. They simply became more efficient inside the 10. Most of the team’s struggles can be boiled down to this: if they got inside the 10, they usually scored. In what may have been the offense’s worst performance of the year outside of Philadelphia, they were shut out of the red zone entirely against the Dolphins. That included games at Miami and at home against the Patriots, and also the team’s bye week. The Steelers went 28 days (10/9 to 11/6) without taking a single snap inside their opponents’ 10-yard line. Against the Patriots, Landry Jones also threw an interception in the end zone. That turnover against the Bills, the second of the game, was a double-whammy, too: it was an interception in the end zone. Both happened in the fourth quarter, and would have given them at least a two-touchdown lead, against the Jets and the Bills. Missed opportunitiesĬertainly, none of this implies there is no room for improvement.Īs already indicated, two turnovers came while leading. Two turnovers came while leading, and the other two occurred early in games when no points had been scored by either team. However, when it mattered most - when trailing - they did not give the ball away a single time. The four red-zone turnovers are definitely concerning. In light of the fact that they were either ahead or tied for 76 percent of their red-zone plays, even just grinding the clock was a win most of the time. The Steelers gained 399 yards on 129 red-zone plays, good for 3.1 yards per play.

The team also picked up eight first downs along the way, good for 5.7 percent of all red-zone plays. That means they gained yards on 113 of 127 plays, or 89 percent. Two of those five were spikes to stop the clock. Excluding three kneel-downs against the Bengals, the Steelers lost yards on just nine of 129 regular plays (excludes kneel-downs and field goals), and netted zero yards just five times. One thing the Steelers did very well in the red zone in 2016 was improve their situation with each snap. When you look at it situationally, though, it looks even better. Neither of those numbers are in the top 20 percent of the league - but neither are they even in the bottom half. The remaining four were turnovers - three interceptions and one fumble.īasic math shows the Steelers scored touchdowns on 60 percent of their red-zone drives, and put up points 80 percent of the time. Still another, against the Bengals in week 15, ended when Roethlisberger knelt to end the game, and one more against the Bengals ended up outside the red zone due to a sack. Against the Ravens in November, a drive ended as Roethlisberger made a futile, fourth-down effort to bring the team back from a 14-point deficit with just over three minutes remaining. Against the Patriots, a drive ended with a missed field goal after a holding penalty pushed the offense out of the red zone.

One other red-zone drive in that game ended up with a successful field goal try from outside the red zone after quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was sacked on third down. One field goal attempt was blocked by the Philadelphia Eagles. They scored on 40 of those - 30 touchdowns and 10 field goals. In 2016, the Steelers had 50 red-zone possessions. The key to realizing it, as with anything in sports, is to consider situational football.īefore we get into the numbers, we need to consider some vocabulary: for the purposes of this article, any play that gains yards or scores points is considered a “win” any other play is considered a “loss” for that particular snap. I said what no one else wants to say: the Steelers are not bad in the Red Zone. But, once they get inside their opponents’ 20-yard line, their productivity comes to a screeching halt. You’re probably aware of a statement that has become so ubiquitous that the only thing missing is for it to be captured in a meme: the Steelers’ offense is bad in the red zone.īetween the 20s, we all know how good this offense can be.

Steelers score 2016