Steelers 4 Downs: Targeting tight ends as much as wide receivers

1. Targeting tight ends

More than one-third of the way through the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers are relying on tight ends for passing production more than any team in the NFL.

The four-touchdown outburst from the tight ends corps during the Steelers’ most recent game Oct. 16 highlighted the emphasis that the team has in the group of Jonnu Smith, Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward.

During that loss at the Cincinnati Bengals, tight ends were targeted 18 times by Aaron Rodgers. He threw only eight passes toward wide receivers (and another seven to running backs). That drew the Steelers’ season target total between wide receivers (62) and tight ends (60) to nearly even.

That’s a remarkable split. For context, according to data from football analytics site nfeloapp.com, no other team’s share of targets to tight ends is within even 8% of their rate of throwing to wide receivers. The average across the league is a ratio of almost 3-to-1 in regards to throws to wide receivers vs. tight ends.

The Steelers have targeted wide receivers on only 37% of throws. That’s by far the lowest rate in the league (next is the Arizona Cardinals at 44%). The Steelers are one of only four teams that throw to WRs on fewer than 50% of their targets. The Steelers join the Cardinals as the only teams to throw to tight ends during more than one-third of their passes.

All of the Steelers wide receivers combined have 62 targets this season. Seven individual NFL wide receivers have more. The Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase by himself has almost as many catches (58) as the Steelers have intended passes to all of the receivers on their roster.

2. The right stuff

The numbers suggest the Steelers this season have had more success on running plays that go to the right side than the left. According to the league’s official statistics, the breakdown of Steelers carries that go to the right (be it officially classified as off right guard, right tackle or right end) have on average gained 5.5 yards. Those that go up the middle average 4.0, and those that go left are at 4.2.

The carry distribution by direction stands at 48 to the right, 33 up the middle and 54 to the left.

For what it’s worth, the subjective grading of Pro Football Focus ranks starting right guard Mason McCormick as the Steelers’ best run blocker — albeit, starting left guard Isaac Seumalo rates second. Right tackle Troy Fautanu, though, grades out better in run blocking than left tackle Broderick Jones.

3. Dink and dunk

Opponents are piling up the passing yards against the Steelers this season. But it hasn’t been because they are throwing it deep down the field.

Though only four teams have allowed more passing yards than the Steelers (a horrid 374.7 per game), only six teams on average have seen opponents throw the ball less far downfield (7.0 yards per pass, according to pro-football-reference.com).

The difference has been made up via an abundance of yards after catch — 123.8 per game, only five teams allow more.

Only 5.9% of opponent pass attempts against the Steelers this season have been targeted 20 or more yards down the field. That’s the lowest ratio in the league.

4. Stay-action

Through six games this season, by some metrics Aaron Rodgers has been less efficient when throwing off play-action than when he’s dropping back in a more traditional manner.

According to PFF, Rodgers averages 7.9 yards per attempt when not using play-action (second-best in the NFL) but only 5.6 yards per attempt while using play-action (second-worst in the NFL). The minus-2.3 yards discrepancy is by far the widest in the league; the closest quarterback is Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa, who averages 0.9 fewer yards per attempt in play-action than out. Twenty-five of the 32 quarterbacks with the most attempts this season average a better yards per attempt when in play-action than when not.

Rodgers is completing 70.7% of his passes after a traditional dropback but only 61.5% in play-action.