Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

With only seven points against the 49ers, Pittsburgh is back to the drawing board on the offensive side of the football. Throughout the game, there is only one time that Kenny Pickett and the offense found a rhythm and drove down the football field. That was before the half when the team started to go up-tempo and call one-word plays to get after it. Many players liked seeing that, and Pittsburgh got a few big rips.

Najee Harris’s lone big run on the day came during that drive. For him, he notices that the up-tempo nature of the offense, when they do it, keeps the defense off guard. The Steelers offense traveled over 90 yards in just over a minute during that drive, showcasing how fast they can rip a drive like that off.

“Tempo works out, for the most part,” Harris said. “For us, just having one-word plays, lining up fast, and getting to it, and playing with pace, it works, and it shows off our conditioning, too. I feel like it puts the defense on edge because they might be out of plays. You know, or they might be out there for a certain amount of plays. We go simple and start to move the ball; it works out in our favor.”

Usually, when the Steelers use it, like they did in a two-minute drill against the 49ers, they run right down the field. Teams can run a lot of up-tempo action throughout the game, although it requires excellent communication and conditioning, otherwise, the offense can become worn down fast. Kenny Pickett is unsure if they could run more tempo, but he likes it when they do. Still, it comes down to the success of the game.

For Pickett, it’s not so much about the situational component of the up-tempo offense. It comes down to the Steelers having success and moving the chains, something they could not do on Sunday. As a result, they never got into a rhythm to even try to mess with their playing tempo due to being behind the sticks.

“Yeah, that kind of goes into the flow of the game,” Pickett said. “You know, you get the chains moving, then you can go tempo. So, that’s kind of you know, we’ll see how the game is going and we’ll feel it out and how we want to attack them.”

Pittsburgh may have wanted to use more tempo, but that lack of success caused them to abandon it. It is similar to what happened with Joey Porter Jr. on defense, where the 49ers played so much 21 personnel and stayed ahead of the sticks that the sub-packages Porter plays in never really came up.

Take it for what it is; this song and dance has happened in past years. i would doubt the Steelers go more up-tempo this week outside of that situational ball, but you never know what a team could come out with after a clunker like they had in Week 1.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Watch: Chris Kreider's natural third-period hat trick shatters Hurricanes' comeback hopes
Dodgers starter undergoes season-ending UCL surgery
Knicks star ruled out for potential closeout game
Veteran NFL safety will either play for this team or retire in 2024
Former Red Wings head coach linked to open NHL job
How Patriots' Drake Maye has already impressed Jacoby Brissett
LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry among Forbes' highest-paid athletes for 2024
Steve Cohen addresses if Mets could again be trade-deadline sellers
Tiger Woods ruins strong first round with sloppy finish at PGA Championship
Xander Schauffele makes history in first round of PGA Championship
NFL responds to speculation about Chiefs schedule and Taylor Swift
Despite hopes for change, NASCAR championship weekend will return to Phoenix in 2025
Chiefs will achieve something not done since 1927 with 2024 schedule
Caitlin Clark's debut was most-watched WNBA game in more than 20 years
Yankees' Aaron Judge comments on resurgence after bad slump
Odell Beckham Jr. reveals why he was 'hesitant' to join Dolphins
Lakers reportedly interested in adding three-time All-Star via trade
Luka Doncic fed off negative reactions in Game 5 win over Thunder
Celtics finally put away undermanned Cavaliers, advance to conference finals
Avalanche force Game 6 with big third period vs. Stars

Want more sports news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.