Sunday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers can be blamed on James Conner’s fumble in the fourth quarter. The blame could be directed at Mark Barron’s hold during a third-down stop and subsequent lapse in coverage for the go-ahead touchdown. Those are fair arguments.
But nothing compares to offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner’s playcalling. This isn’t a Mason Rudolph problem. The playcalling was atrocious before he stepped in for an injured Ben Roethlisberger. This problem has been present since the Pittsburgh Steelers took the field Week 1 and were blasted by the New England Patriots.
Sunday saw the offense stall to four three-and-outs. That brings the season total to 11.
But it gets worse.
The Steelers are pathetic on third downs. They have converted a whopping 26% of their third downs. That’s good for 27th in the league. This is thanks, in large part, to the Steelers’ consistently finding themselves in third-and-eight or longer. The team has faced 16 such situations, converting three. Even worse is third-and-less-than-three-to-go, where the Steelers have converted just one of six tries.
Adding to the struggle, there is no run game to speak of. Through three weeks (with one game left to play at this point) the Steelers rank 31st in rushing attempts and 29th in yards. This hurt the Steelers throughout the contest with the 49ers. Without a run game, San Francisco didn’t fear the passing game. That, in turn, allowed for Nick Bosa and Dee Ford to pin their ears back and rush the passer every play. While the 49ers ended with just two sacks, the pressure was in Rudolph’s face for much of the game.
With Rudolph at quarterback for the season, a run game has to be established for any hope of success. Screen passes only go so far. Until James Conner and the running backs get going, this offense isn’t going anywhere.
But it’s not all on the players. Fichtner’s playcalling isn’t doing the backs any favors, either. In the first quarter of Sunday’s game, the Steelers called four runs to 13 called pass plays. There’s no feasible way for the offensive line or the backs to find a rhythm with that ratio.
The Steelers’ first offensive possession began at the 49ers’ 33. Fichtner called three pass plays, none of which were thrown past the line of scrimmage, two of them being screens. Rather than strike to the end zone, Fichtner played it safe. While that’s to be expected (the 49ers certainly expected as much), Rudolph has proven his strength is throwing the ball downfield. The size and speed of the Steelers’ receivers tell their strength is getting downfield.
The last straw is how pitiful the Steelers’ offense was in response to the five turnovers the defense created. Six points were all the offense could muster off turnovers. The 49ers created 14 of the two they had.
The Steelers’ offense was expected to take a dip with the departures of Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. That idea magnified when Ben Roethlisberger went down. However, this offense falls short of even its most mundane expectations now.
Don’t expect the front office to do anything drastic soon with Fichtner. Just know who to point the blaming fingers at.
https://therunnersports.com/pittsburgh-steelers-blame-shifts-to-randy-fichtner/