Short drives by offense putting Steelers defense at disadvantage during 1-2 start

Center Mason Cole knows a way the Pittsburgh Steelers can fix their leaky run defense. It’s not exactly a novel approach, however, and doesn’t even involve players on that side of the football.

Cole believes the defense can benefit from not being on the field so frequently as has been the case during the Steelers’ 1-2 start.

That is where the offense enters the equation.

“I’ve said this a few weeks in a row. We’ve got to help our defense out,” Cole said Monday when the Steelers returned from a weekend break to resume preparations for their game Sunday against the New York Jets. “Our three-and-outs, and consecutive three-and-outs for us are not good. It kills our defense.”

One common thread throughout the first month of the season has been time of possession — or lack thereof, in the Steelers’ case.

The offense has been on the field less frequently than any other NFL team, averaging 24 minutes, 15 seconds of possession time. Conversely, the Steelers defense has been on the field longer than any other team.

A turning point in the Steelers’ 29-17 loss to Cleveland last Thursday came after the Browns reeled off 14 plays on a drive that netted 70 yards and led to a field goal that gave them a 16-14 lead. The Steelers gained seven yards on three plays, Diontae Johnson dropped a deep pass on third down and Pressley Harvin was called on to punt.

The Browns then embarked on an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive in which just one pass play was called. That put the Steelers in a 23-14 hole with 9:29 left in the game.

And another three-and-out followed.

“You can’t have that,” Cole said. “People say we need to play the run better, but we need to help our defense out. It’s important for us to possess the ball.”

The Steelers are averaging 22.41 yards per drive, which also ranks last in the NFL. That is attributed to the Steelers going three-and-out on nearly one-third of their possessions. The issue is compounded by the amount of back-to-back three-and-out possessions the offense has produced.

In the season opener at Cincinnati, the Steelers went three-and-out on their first two possessions. They repeated it on their last two possessions against New England before the Patriots ran out the clock. It happened on three successive second-half possessions against Cleveland as the Steelers converted just 1 of 9 third-down chances in the game.

“It’s hard when the defense is on the field for those long drives, and we’re off in three plays,” wide receiver Chase Claypool said. “We definitely need to be on the field longer, have more plays. They’ve been playing too much, and that falls on us.”

The time-of-possession discrepancy in the second half overshadowed that improvement the Steelers offense made in the first half when they scored touchdowns on back-to-back drives for the first time this season and had 88 yards rushing.

The first-half showing was an indication the offensive line — which includes new starters in Cole and right guard James Daniels — is making modest strides after a lackluster start in the preseason.

“I think it has progressed a lot in three games,” Cole said. “Early in the year when you have newer guys and you’re getting in the heat of the battle, it can be tough. I think over time it has gotten better. I think we all feel comfortable with each other now. I think we’re starting to see that on film, too.”

Pass protection improved against the Browns. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky was sacked just one, and left tackle Dan Moore largely kept star pass rusher Myles Garrett out of the backfield. Garrett registered two assisted tackles and one quarterback hit in the game.

For the season, Trubisky has been sacked five times.

“The pass blocking hasn’t been bad at all,” left guard Kevin Dotson said. “I see us being smarter in our calls and smarter in finding out what the defense is doing and making adjustments to things that we once made a mistake on.”