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Throughout the season, I continue to report on the scores given by Pro Football Focus (PFF) on a weekly basis. Whether it be scores for each game or the final season scores, it is a feature that has been here at Behind The Steel Curtain for some time.
But not only are there individual scores, there are team scores as well.
Now that the 2022 regular season has concluded, this week we will be looking at the various team scores of the Pittsburgh Steelers according to PFF. After looking at the overall scores, this time we will be looking at the specific offensive scores as well as which individual game scored the highest and the lowest in each category. The scores will be based on only the regular season when it comes to ranking them against other NFL teams.
It’s at this time where I give my typical PFF disclaimer. While I am going to do it, it’s not going to be quite the same as before. I want to remind everyone that the numbers you are looking at given by Pro Football Focus is merely an opinion. It is the opinion of whoever is scoring the game as to how an individual player did on every snap. It is a well-informed opinion because they look at every snap by every player on every play. So it’s not for a lack of thoroughness on their part. But ultimately it is an opinion. It is no different than your opinion or my opinion. Sometimes their opinion may line up with ours, while other times it will not. So looking at these scores as 100% accurate can be dangerous. On the other end of the spectrum, looking at them with 0% validity would be unwise as well.
With that being said, let’s get into the offensive scores for the Steelers in several different categories.
Offensive Score: 74.5
NFL Rank: 16th
Top 3 games:
Week 17 at Baltimore Ravens: 84.5
Week 3 at Cleveland Browns: 75.8
Week 15 at Carolina Panthers: 75.5
Bottom 3 games:
Week 11 vs. Cincinnati Bengals: 61.4
Week 7 at Miami Dolphins: 60.9
Week 8 at Philadelphia Eagles: 56.9
Since this is a repeat from yesterday‘s article just to give the reminder of the overall grade for offense, I’m simply going to direct anyone back in case they didn’t catch the previous scores.
Passing Score: 75.7
NFL Rank: T-10th (Minnesota Vikings)
Top 3 games:
Week 17 at Baltimore Ravens: 90.9
Week 12 at Indianapolis Colts: 86.3
Week 3 at Cleveland Browns: 77.6
Bottom 3 games:
Week 10 vs. New Orleans Saints: 59.3
Week 11 vs. Cincinnati Bengals: 57.6
Week 8 at Philadelphia Eagles: 48.6
For the games at the top of the list, the top two are actually two of the lowest passing totals the Steelers had this season. Specifically for the top game on the list against the Ravens in Week 17, the Steelers only completed 15 passes on 27 attempts for 168 yards but also lost 15 yards due to two sacks. As for the games on the bottom, The Steelers had a low passing total against the Eagles and the only touchdown thrown was by Chase Claypool. When it comes to the New Orleans Saints game, it’s interesting that it was such a poor passing performance as you will see in the next category.
Pass Blocking Score: 69.5
NFL Rank: 14th
Top 3 games:
Week 10 vs. New Orleans Saints: 79.5
Week 12 at Indianapolis Colts: 78.3
Week 16 vs. Las Vegas Raiders: 78.1
Bottom 3 games:
Week 8 at Philadelphia Eagles: 57.0
Week 5 at Buffalo Bills: 52.6
Week 18 vs Cleveland Browns: 51.7
I find it interesting that the Steelers best pass blocking game of the season was one where they surrendered six sacks, although only four of them were registered to blockers as the other two were credited to the quarterback. But seeing the best games in double-digit weeks is not surprising as the Steelers pass blocking got better as the season went on. What is really surprising is seeing Week 18 as their lowest score of the season in a game when they only gave up one sack and one quarterback hit. Sometimes these things just don’t make sense.
Receiving Score: 72.8
NFL Rank: 17th
Top 3 games:
Week 15 at Carolina Panthers: 79.7
Week 14 vs. Baltimore Ravens: 76.9
Week 13 at Atlanta Falcons: 72.5
Bottom 3 games:
Week 10 vs. New Orleans Saints: 61.3
Week 7 at Miami Dolphins: 60.6
Week 8 at Philadelphia Eagles: 54.3
Honestly, I can’t figure out how the Steelers only have one game below the 60.0 standard when it comes to receiving yet rank 17th in the NFL. This is one category that I can’t make much rhyme or reason out of the numbers at all.
Running Score: 85.6
NFL Rank: 12th
Top 3 games:
Week 17 at Baltimore Ravens: 88.3
Week 12 at Indianapolis Colts: 81.6
Week 15 at Carolina Panthers: 81.3
Bottom 3 games:
Week 5 at Buffalo Bills: 57.7
Week 1 at Cincinnati Bengals: 56.6
Week 6 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 54.7
The Steelers running game before the bye week… not good. The Steelers running game after the bye week… one of the best in the NFL. Looking at the specific games at the top and the bottom and it speaks for itself.
Run Blocking Score: 58.0
NFL Rank: 16th
Top 3 games:
Week 17 at Baltimore Ravens: 73.0
Week 5 at Buffalo Bills: 68.6
Week 10 vs. New Orleans Saints: 67.0
Bottom 3 games:
Week 12 at Indianapolis Colts: 51.4
Week 16 vs. Las Vegas Raiders: 47.1
Week 4 vs. New York Jets: 46.1
One of the first things I noticed is that the Steelers have a team score below the 60.0 standard for run blocking yet landed in the middle of the NFL. In other words, PFF doesn’t think many teams are very good at run blocking. Specifically for the Steelers, it would make sense that the best running scores and best running blocking scores might coincide. That’s why one of the worst running scores and better blocking scores when the Steelers played the Buffalo Bills seems interesting. Also, the Steelers game against the New York Jets was the lowest of any score of any game of anything offensively yet it is the only time it showed up on any of the offensive lists.
So how did these scores look for the offense in 2022? Do they pass the eye tests? Make sure you leave your thoughts in the comments below and be on the lookout final team breakdown for the defense.
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