The Steelers failed to score a touchdown in their 18-10 Week 1 victory over the Falcons down in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

I find that funny in retrospect.

In the moment, I was like, “Yeah, this is fun!” “Great defense!” “Go get’em, Najee!” “Pickens is a beast!” “I like how Justin Fields is handling himself!” “How about those offseason additions to the secondary?” “T.J. Watt is a beast and a half!” “Chris Boswell is way better than Justin Tucker!”

But now that the dust has settled…no touchdowns. Not a single one.

Don’t misunderstand, I know why Sunday’s game went down the way it did. For starters, no Russell Wilson because of his calf, which may have limited Arthur Smith’s game-plan with Justin Fields. Having said that, I’m not so sure Wilson would have done much to increase the paydirt visits had he been the leader of the huddle.

Speaking of Smith, Sunday’s game was obviously his debut as Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator; after many months of wondering how the scheme would look under his guidance, it didn’t seem much different than what we witnessed with Matt Canada scheming up plays–including zero touchdowns.

I find that kinda funny.

“Yeah, but the Steelers had six scoring drives. We’re getting closer to breaking through. It’s a work in progress!”

But were there really six scoring drives in a traditional sense? I mean, what if the 50-plus field goal attempt wasn’t the new 40-plus field goal attempt? Boswell kicked six field goals on Sunday, and three of them were from 50-plus yards out. Two of them were from 56-plus yards away, meaning, they may have been punts 10 years ago. As for that 51-yarder Boz connected on? He may have had a 50-percent chance of making it in 2014, back when human legs didn’t know they were expected to hit on field goals from that far away 80 or 90 percent of the time.

I know what you’re going to say next: “That offensive pass interference call on George Pickens was bogus! I’m telling you, they’re close. It’s a work in progress!”

Weren’t we saying similar things about “this play” or “that play” following Pittsburgh’s first game sans Canada last November 26 in Cincinnati? The Steelers offense only produced 16 points that day, but it did break the 400-yard barrier for the first time since before Canada was hired as the offensive coordinator prior to the 2021 season. Because this happened just days after Canada was relieved of his duties, the belief was that it was only a matter of time before Pittsburgh’s offense would cook or eat or whatever.

About that 400 yard barrier: The Steelers only produced 270 yards down in Atlanta, meaning, they didn’t even come close. Maybe that was by design, but why? Yes, I said in my previous Steelers article that there is a particular script head coach Mike Tomlin now expects his players to memorize before every game, one that includes being conservative and limiting mistakes on offense. Again, but why? It’s because he doesn’t have the horses capable of doing much more than protecting the football and putting most games in the hands of his highly-paid defense.

Lest we forget about the middle of the field. I don’t believe the Steelers have attempted a pass over the middle of the field this decade, and that trend continued in Sunday’s win at Atlanta.

That’s really funny.

Back to last year.

The Steelers offense eventually did look fairly potent in 2023, but it wasn’t until Mason Rudolph had ascended from third-string afterthought to the “hot hand” starting quarterback in December. I’m not saying Rudolph is an elite talent, but I am saying that some players are better than others.

At the end of the day, you need the horses.

MyCole Pruitt was targeted twice in Week 1.

That’s kinda funny.

That brings me back to Smith and what he can do with his current roster of offensive players. Probably not a whole lot. We are obviously in the era of social media and constant speculation when it comes to all-things sports but especially football. I do believe this era, more than any before it, has popularized the notion that offensive coordinators (and hitting coaches, pitching coaches and power play coaches) are puppet masters who should be capable of taking chicken **** and turning it into chicken salad.

However, it’s like what Hall of Fame baseball manager Jim Leyland often says: “I was a much smarter manager when I had better players.”

That brings me back to MyCole Pruitt.

Kinda funny.