Steelers offense struggles vs. Falcons: Who’s to blame, what needs fixing

Mike McCarthy's debut as the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach will go down in the books as a 20-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons. However, the win was somewhat overshadowed by a highly disappointing performance from Pittsburgh's offense.

All told, Pittsburgh's offense gained just 264 yards, going 3 for 13 on third down and 0 of 2 on fourth down. The Steelers had just two trips inside Atlanta's 20-yard-line and set up the Falcons' only touchdown when running back Jaylen Warren fumbled the ball inside Pittsburgh's 30-yard-line late in the first quarter.

Fortunately, the Steelers' defense made up for their offensive struggles. Facing third-string quarterback Cooper Rush, Pittsburgh's defense allowed just 238 yards and held Atlanta to 2 of 12 on third down. The unit forced two turnovers, including T.J. Watt's incredible pick-six that proved to be the game-winning score.

Pittsburgh's struggles against Atlanta were a collective failure. Aaron Rodgers (24 of 40 passing for 221 yards and a touchdown) wasn't his usual accurate self, and running backs Warren and Rico Dowdle didn't produce much splash while combining to run for just 61 yards on 18 carries.

The biggest issues, however, were Pittsburgh's offensive line woes and a DK Metcalf's performance…

Original source: https://www.cbssports.com/