Steelers Now
Former NFL head coach Jay Gruden did not hold back on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite being 6-4 and atop of the AFC North, Gruden thinks the Steelers don’t do anything well, especially on offense.
“I still think there’s too many holes on the offense,” Gruden said recently on The Arena podcast. “DK [Metcalf] is not really scaring anybody. [Calvin] Austin is dropping balls. He’s not very good. They do [have] the two tight ends.
“Jaylen Warren is a good player, but who scares you if you’re playing them defensively? ‘Holy cow, we’re playing the Steelers. We’ve got to stop this.’ What duo? Maybe a play-action pass to DK? That’s what scares me about Pittsburgh. If they get down, how are they gonna come back?”
Jay Gruden says the Steelers don’t do anything well, just like his golf game 😂 pic.twitter.com/Lkq98tClNB
— The Arena: Gridiron (@ArenaGridiron) November 20, 2025
Aaron Rodgers has thrown 30.8% of his passes at or behind the line of scrimmage, the second-highest rate in the league, according to Matt Williamson of Steelers.com. A league low 45.3% of his passes have been five or more yards downfield. It’s an offense that relies mostly on yards after the catch, which they rank first in the NFL.
It’s just an extremely limited passing attack. The lack of a No. 2 wide receiver has hurt the Steelers, especially in recent weeks. Teams are double-teaming No. 1 wideout DK Metcalf. Metcalf has only 37 receptions for 551 yards (14.9 average) and five touchdowns this year. He’s had 55 yards or fewer in each of his last four games.
Gruden is also skeptical of the Steelers’ defense.
“Defense, T.J. Watt. Other than that, have at it,” he said. “They’re 28th. They gave up a lot of chunk yards early in the season.”
The Steelers forced six turnovers in their Week 9 win over the Indianapolis Colts and had two defensive touchdowns in their Week 11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s a defense that relies heavy on turnovers. They have scored a league-high 77 points off turnovers. If the turnovers don’t come, it’s a very average defensive unit.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Former NFL HC Thinks Steelers Don’t Do Anything Well
