The Pittsburgh Steelers shocked seemingly everyone when they opened last Sunday’s win over the Baltimore Ravens with a downfield pass.
After the Ravens took the opening kickoff and drove for a field goal, Aaron Rodgers connected with wide receiver DK Metcalf for a 52-yard gain to the Baltimore 13-yard line on the Steelers’ first play from scrimmage. That led to Rodgers scoring his first touchdown since 2022 on a 1-yard run.
That put the Steelers ahead 7-3, and they never trailed again, taking sole possession of first place in the AFC North from the Ravens after the teams entered the game with 6-6 records. The explosive pass play was surprising as the Steelers had been successful on very few downfield shots while losing five of their previous seven games.
Rodgers went on to throw for a season-high 284 yards and a touchdown while completing 23 of 34 attempts. Metcalf had a season-best 148 receiving yards on seven catches.
"That was just the mindset going in," Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said. "Come hell or high water we were going to try to push the ball down the field. I didn't call very many runs. I got a little pass happy.”
Will the Steelers be pass-heavy again on Monday night when they host the Miami Dolphins (6-7) at Acrisure Stadium? Smith obviously won’t give away his game plan, but it figures that the Steelers will look for more balance against a Dolphins defense that is 12th in the NFL against the pass but 25th against the run.
The Steelers’ running game was awful last week. Pittsburgh managed just 34 yards on 17 carries, an average of 2.0 yards per attempt. Kenneth Gainwell had 15 yards in four attempts, and Jaylen Warren rushed eight times for 13 yards.
The Steelers are 29th in the league in rushing, 23rd in passing, and 27th in total yards.
Perhaps the Steelers will again run a more wide-open offense against the Dolphins. Smith has been criticized for running an unimaginative offense during his two seasons as the offensive coordinator, as he noted with a smile.
“I don't think I've ever been accused of not running it enough, so maybe you evolve,” Smith said.