Big plays help jumpstart Steelers’ offense
One way to provide a jolt to an offense that ranked among the worst in the NFL was to hit on a handful of long-gaining plays.
Mission-accomplished Sunday for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers had a season-high five plays from scrimmage that gained more than 20 yards, a big part of their 27-19 win against the Denver Broncos.
“We talked about big chunk plays,” receiver Chase Claypool said of the week of practice that followed a third consecutive loss. “When you hit big chunk plays, it eliminates a lot of the execution needed. That’s what coach (Mike) Tomlin talked about earlier in this week. We did that a lot across the course of this game, chunk plays, and that makes everyone’s job a lot easier.”
A great way to start the game ????@_BigBen7 | @Juiceup__3 | ????: FOX pic.twitter.com/7H4cW61oc8
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 10, 2021
Claypool’s 59-yard reception in the second quarter was the Steelers’ longest play of the season. An early 50-yard touchdown by Diontae Johnson was the third-longest, and a 20-yard run by Najee Harris in the second quarter tied his longest of the season (also the longest by any Steelers running back).
Claypool had another catch of 23 yards, and Johnson caught a 22-yard pass in the fourth quarter.
The Steelers had 12 plays of at least 20 yards over their first four games.
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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