It’s no secret that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ vertical passing game hasn’t existed this season. Despite an offseason of upgrades in QB Aaron Rodgers, WR DK Metcalf, and TE Jonnu Smith, the offense has continued to do its work short and underneath. If Russell Wilson, a year ago, was 3-pointers and layups, the 2025 Steelers are truly a layup line.
The eye test doesn’t just show that. The numbers back it up. Our Clayton Eckert put together data showing each team’s pass attempts of 15-plus air yards this season entering Week 12 (so excluding Thursday night’s game between the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans).