By Jeremy Hritz
The Steelers are 1-0 and have some momentum, at least offensively, heading into Saturday’s second preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. There is plenty of work in between now and then, and as you anticipate the game, take a look at these 10 stats that stood out from Saturday’s contest vs. the Seahawks.
- 6.1 yard per carry – That is what the Seattle running backs averaged against the Steelers defense, albeit a bottom-end of the roster one. Regardless, the team has to bolster up and show improvement this weekend, as there will be a point in the season when the depth guys will be called upon.
- 6.9 yards per carry – As bad as it was for the Steelers defense, it was equally as good on offense, as no matter who carried the ball, they gained positive yardage. The coaching staff has to feel encouraged by what they witnessed from the backs, especially Jaylen Warren and Anthony McFarland, and if that can continue, the RB unit can be pretty special in 2022.
- Steelers offense 7/13 on 3rd downs – 54% conversion rate for the offense for the Steelers which is decent, and it was a nice distribution of pass/run conversions.
- Successful throwing down the field? QBs Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph averaged 6.3 and 6.2 yards per attempt, respectively. The leader on Saturday with yards per attempt? Mitch Trubisky at 9.0 yards per attempt
- 100-Club Triplets – All three QBs finished the evening with quarterback ratings over 100. The leader? Pickett with a 132.6 rating.
- Receivers targeted the most? There were 2 receivers who Steelers QBs prioritized Saturday night: both George Pickens and Warren were targeted 5 times.
- Ball Security – There were two fumbles by the offense that were thankfully recovered. Rudolph and Warren both lost the football and need to emphasize protection this week in practice.
- A big ZERO – Want more evidence Devin Bush played poorly on Saturday? Guess how many tackles he had? You guessed it: 0. Not going to cut it.
- 16 tackles amongst 3 players? Good stat right? Not when those 3 players are all in your secondary. Arthur Maulet, Damontae Kazee, and James Pierre tallied the 16, indicating the struggles of the front seven in run defense.
- Big pass plays surrendered – The Steelers secondary also had their fair share of failures, allowing pass plays of 39, 25, and 21. Have to tighten up in the secondary as well.