Pittsburgh Steelers: Lack of offensive balance could prove costly

Mike Tomlin’s team has basically abandoned the run in recent weeks. Can the Pittsburgh Steelers re-establish some balance down the stretch?

What in the wild, wild world of Mr. Miyagi is going on with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the first-place team in the AFC North, these days?

Entering the final four weeks of this wild and explosive season, only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are averaging more passing yards per game in the league than the Steelers. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings are the only clubs managing fewer rushing yards per game than Mike Tomlin’s club.

Entering Week 14, Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was leading the NFL with in pass attempts (517) and yards through the air (3,945). He had thrown for 26 scores but only New York Jets’ rookie quarterback Sam Darnold (14) had thrown more interceptions (13) than the Steelers’ veteran signal-caller.

Over the team’s past three games, a comeback win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and losses to the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers, Roethlisberger has totaled 148 attempts and seen sacked just five times. He’s thrown for five scores and been picked off six times.

In the Week 10 demolition of the Carolina Panthers, the 15-year veteran threw five touchdown passes without an interception. And in that 52-21 victory, the team totaled 30 running plays for 138 yards.

So what’s happened to the offensive balance shown by the team earlier this year? If you include punter Chris Boswell’s touchdown pass to tackle Alejandro Villanueva, wide receiver Antonio Brown’s failed attempt to rookie Jaylen Samuels — both plays part of the team’s 24-17 loss at Denver — and the aforementioned five sacks of Roethlisberger, the Steelers have totaled 155 pass plays in their last three contests compared to only 44 running plays.

The Steelers’ recent lack of balance has been bewildering considering the kind of season running back James Conner has been having. Now the second-year pro is out with an ankle injury as the team prepares to face the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. Be it Samuels or the other running backs on Tomlin’s roster, the notion that this team can throw its way into the playoffs may be a bit misguided.

Controlling the football also means keeping the team’s defense off the field and enabling Keith Butler’s unit to be well-rested when it is finally called upon. It’s a formula that the Steelers utilized very well in the middle of the season. And there’s still time for the club to get back to doing what it was doing well not that long ago. But the time to reach the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year may be running out if Tomlin’s club doesn’t rediscover that much-needed offensive balance.