The Pittsburgh Steelers lost 16-10 to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday night, and while no one on the team was happy with the result, wide receiver Chase Claypool laid out what he thinks the team's biggest problem is: a lack of deep balls.
Claypool: "I just think we need more go balls. Like, damn, not enough go balls. We got playmakers. I haven't had a go ball all year. George needs more, (Diontae) needs more. I'm not saying that's on the playcalling, I'm just saying we need to try to find a way to scheme it up."
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) October 24, 2022
Claypool specifically complained about the lack of deep passes, but he knows that's wrapped up in the larger issue of offensive passivity. Almost every pass is a shorter pass, which means every drive has to last a long time to make it to the end zone. A long drive with tons of plays gives the defense more chances to take advantage of mistakes, so the Steelers have to be perfect. Claypool doesn't consider that a long term formula for winning.
Claypool feels like they're missing splash on offense:
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) October 24, 2022
"It's a little harder to score when it's like a 10-15 play drive, bc everything has to go right. If you're nickel and diming, you get 5 ypp, which is fine for time of possession, but sometimes we just want to go score now."
The offense was definitely an issue on Sunday night. Pickett completed 32 of 44 passes for 257 yards, but his yards per attempt was just 5.84. He threw one touchdown, but also threw three interceptions.
Steelers second half drives
— Jarrett Bailey (@JBaileyNFL) October 24, 2022
▪️Punt (3 and out)
▪️Punt
▪️Punt (3 and out)
▪️Punt
▪️Punt (3 and out)
▪️Interception
▪️Interception pic.twitter.com/sORFwdOVBk
Matt Canada has been the offensive coordinator of the #Steelers for 25 games. They have scored over 20 points in regulation just five times, all last season. @937theFan
— Josh Rowntree (@JRown32) October 24, 2022
The offense wasn't the only problem. The defense dropped four (!!!) interceptions, any one of which could have turned the game in the Steelers' favor.
The Steelers really dropped 4 interceptions last night against the Dolphins 🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/URzJ8IG31d
— The Game Day NFL (@TheGameDayNFL) October 24, 2022
The Steelers have lots of problems right now, so even if the staff started drawing up those deep plays and Pickett could execute them, it probably wouldn't be the silver bullet to a winning season. Claypool, though, might not have to stay around and see what happens. His name has been mentioned several times as a possible trade target for WR-needy teams, so his days in Pittsburgh may be numbered. Considering that he just gave a quote criticizing the coaching staff, he might be the first one on the train out of town.