It’s been a month to forget for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ passing attack.
The Steelers’ passing game has been an issue all season long, but it’s been particularly ugly in November. Pittsburgh has fallen short of 200 net passing yards in three of four games this month, averaging just 181.5 net passing yards per game.
Granted, it hasn’t helped that Aaron Rodgers has missed the last game and a half with a wrist injury, leaving Mason Rudolph to helm the offense. He’s been serviceable in Rodgers’ absence, but still only managed to throw for 171 yards against the Chicago Bears’ porous secondary on Sunday.
It also didn’t help that, prior to going down in Week 11, Rodgers endured one of the worst games of his career against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10.
Regardless of who’s been under center, the Steelers have struggled pushing the ball downfield. They’ve yet to complete a pass of at least 20 air yards this month, going 0-for-11 with two interceptions on those throws over their last four games.
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Meanwhile, Jameis Winston had five such throws against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
Part of the reason is that Rodgers needs to get the ball out quickly at this stage of his career, similar to Ben Roethlisberger in his final seasons. That naturally leads to shorter passes, as receivers have less down to run downfield and get open.
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It also hasn’t helped that Pittsburgh traded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys in May, removing one of the team’s top receiving threats and limiting what the offense can do through the air.
The Steelers need to have more success in this area if they want to stretch opposing defenses and hit more big plays. Otherwise, they won’t be able to keep up with the league’s best offenses.
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Featured image via Barry Reeger/Imagn Images