While I was researching the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of their upcoming game against the New York Jets, one consistent problem showed up on tape: their inability to convert third downs.
In last week’s loss to Cleveland, Pittsburgh converted just 1-of-9 first downs. In the Week 1 win over Cincinnati, they went 4-of-15. The only team they’ve managed to convert against is the Patriots (8-of-15). All of this adds up to the Steelers being ranked 24th in the league in terms of third down conversion rate at 33.3%.
Most weeks that would be a statistic that excited the opposing fanbase, but the Jets have allowed a huge 51.