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Steelers searching for more consistency in the red zone
December 4, 2015 12:00 AM
[url]http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2015/12/04/Steelers-searching-for-more-consistency-in-the-red-zone/stories/201512040159[/url]
By Ray Fittipaldo / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Steelers’ big-play offense is alive and well. Markus Wheaton’s 69-yard touchdown against Seattle Sunday was the 12th play of 40 yards or more this season and the sixth touchdown of 20 yards or more.
Scoring from inside the red zone has been a little more challenging for the Steelers. While they are among the NFL leaders in total offense, the gaudy amount of yardage they are gaining isn’t translating into the same kind of scoring production.
The Steelers are fourth in the NFL in yards (399 per game) but tied for ninth in points (24.2 per game). An average red-zone ranking is one of the reasons. The Steelers are 17th in the league in red-zone efficiency, converting touchdowns at a 55 percent clip.
“Our percentage, we score every time we’re down there,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. “We may not score touchdowns every time, but we’re scoring every time. We’re doing some really good things. I think we were 2 for 4 on touchdowns last week. That’s scoring points, but we need to try to be 100 percent.”
The No. 1 red zone team in the league, surprisingly, is the New York Jets, who convert 73 percent of their trips inside the 20 into touchdowns. Cincinnati (70 percent), Detroit (68 percent), New England (65 percent) and Indianapolis (63 percent) are second through fifth in the rankings.
Over the past three games the Steelers have been converting at just a 43 percent clip in the red zone.
“We were good in red-zone efficiency early, but we weren’t getting in there enough during that middle stretch. Now we’re getting back in a bunch and not executing,” offensive coordinator Todd Haley said. “Again, there are little things here and there that really come down to execution, guys doing what they’re supposed to do. It’s not dropped balls or anything like that. It’s just doing things the way we’re supposed to do them.
“We just have to stay on the screws with that. We’re very good in two-point situations for the most part. We have to just buckle down and make sure we execute and do things the way we’re working on them.”
The Steelers scored two touchdowns on four trips inside the 20 against Seattle, but the two opportunities they did not convert proved costly because the Seahawks were making the most of their opportunities. The Steelers got to the Seattle 2 in the third quarter and settled for a field goal. Then, with three minutes remaining, with first-and-goal from the 10, the Steelers got to the 3 before settling for another field goal.
“It’s all about playing team football and finishing our games,” right tackle Marcus Gilbert said. “Every time we get the ball we expect to score. That’s what type of offense we have. We can’t get behind the chains, or have dropped balls or have stupid penalties.
“We’re the only ones who are stopping ourselves. When you review the game it’s really not the defense, it’s the offense stopping ourselves. Whenever we want to be great we can go out and be great. We have the playmakers that can do so.”
December 4, 2015 12:00 AM
[url]http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2015/12/04/Steelers-searching-for-more-consistency-in-the-red-zone/stories/201512040159[/url]
By Ray Fittipaldo / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Steelers’ big-play offense is alive and well. Markus Wheaton’s 69-yard touchdown against Seattle Sunday was the 12th play of 40 yards or more this season and the sixth touchdown of 20 yards or more.
Scoring from inside the red zone has been a little more challenging for the Steelers. While they are among the NFL leaders in total offense, the gaudy amount of yardage they are gaining isn’t translating into the same kind of scoring production.
The Steelers are fourth in the NFL in yards (399 per game) but tied for ninth in points (24.2 per game). An average red-zone ranking is one of the reasons. The Steelers are 17th in the league in red-zone efficiency, converting touchdowns at a 55 percent clip.
“Our percentage, we score every time we’re down there,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. “We may not score touchdowns every time, but we’re scoring every time. We’re doing some really good things. I think we were 2 for 4 on touchdowns last week. That’s scoring points, but we need to try to be 100 percent.”
The No. 1 red zone team in the league, surprisingly, is the New York Jets, who convert 73 percent of their trips inside the 20 into touchdowns. Cincinnati (70 percent), Detroit (68 percent), New England (65 percent) and Indianapolis (63 percent) are second through fifth in the rankings.
Over the past three games the Steelers have been converting at just a 43 percent clip in the red zone.
“We were good in red-zone efficiency early, but we weren’t getting in there enough during that middle stretch. Now we’re getting back in a bunch and not executing,” offensive coordinator Todd Haley said. “Again, there are little things here and there that really come down to execution, guys doing what they’re supposed to do. It’s not dropped balls or anything like that. It’s just doing things the way we’re supposed to do them.
“We just have to stay on the screws with that. We’re very good in two-point situations for the most part. We have to just buckle down and make sure we execute and do things the way we’re working on them.”
The Steelers scored two touchdowns on four trips inside the 20 against Seattle, but the two opportunities they did not convert proved costly because the Seahawks were making the most of their opportunities. The Steelers got to the Seattle 2 in the third quarter and settled for a field goal. Then, with three minutes remaining, with first-and-goal from the 10, the Steelers got to the 3 before settling for another field goal.
“It’s all about playing team football and finishing our games,” right tackle Marcus Gilbert said. “Every time we get the ball we expect to score. That’s what type of offense we have. We can’t get behind the chains, or have dropped balls or have stupid penalties.
“We’re the only ones who are stopping ourselves. When you review the game it’s really not the defense, it’s the offense stopping ourselves. Whenever we want to be great we can go out and be great. We have the playmakers that can do so.”
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