There are plenty of terrible numbers coming out of Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. And many others that apply to the year. But the worst of the worst is the sheer lack of chances Pittsburgh is creating for itself. My big-brained take is that it’s hard to win if you don’t have the ball. And the Steelers have held the ball about as little as any team has in the past 22 seasons.

On the year, Pittsburgh’s offense is averaging a paltry 55 plays per game. Entering Monday Night Football, that is last in the NFL. For comparison, the Steelers’ offense of a year ago averaged 62.6 plays per game. A season that included a 41-play outing against the Philadelphia Eagles.

In 2025, there are no outliers. Pittsburgh is consistently lagging behind in the snap count. Against the Chargers, the Steelers were out-snapped 69 to 50. Pittsburgh hasn’t had more snaps than its opponent all season long.

To put that into further context, I checked the snap count numbers since 2003. The fine folks at Team Rankings provide that historical data. Pittsburgh is one of the worst offenders. From 2003 through 2025, here are the bottom ten units.

Fewest Team Offensive Plays Per Game (2003-2025)

Year/Team
Plays Per Game

2005 49ers
54.1

2018 Dolphins
54.9

2025 Steelers
55.0

2020 Football Team
55.3

2025 Dolphins
55.9

2003 Texans
56.0

2021 Seahawks
56.1

2006 Bills
56.1

2025 Ravens
56.2

2018 Cardinals
56.4

Currently, Pittsburgh ranks third-worst. Only the 2005 San Francisco 49ers and 2018 Miami Dolphins, two teams that combined to win 11 games, have fared worse.

Evident as it is, the ’25 numbers could shift. Three teams from this season make up the list, and one high snap count can jump the number out of this group. With Lamar Jackson back in tow, the Ravens are likely to ascend the rest of the season. Baltimore just ran 66 plays in Sunday’s win over the Minnesota Vikings.

There’s evidence the Steelers won’t follow suit. Pittsburgh isn’t getting a franchise quarterback back in the lineup, and the offense has largely been healthy. Instead, the Steelers are struggling on third down and are unable to extend drives to rack up the snap count, controlling the ball and the game, including going 2-of-11 in Week 10.

Here’s their game-by-game snap count.

1. Jets – 54
2. Seahawks – 59
3. Patriots – 49
4. Vikings – 53
5. Browns – 58
6. Bengals – 54
7. Packers – 57
8. Colts – 61
9. Chargers – 50

Pittsburgh’s only reached the 60s in one game this season. This season, 21 teams are averaging at least 60 snaps per game.

Big plays can “hurt” snap counts. Hit long touchdowns, and your snaps naturally decrease. That’s not happening to Pittsburgh. The Steelers entered Monday night 31st league-wide with just 89 plays of 10 yards or more. Of “explosive” pass plays, Pittsburgh’s on pace to finish the year with just 39. A worse figure than any of the past five years and barely better than 2019, a season that started Mason Rudolph and Duck Hodges. Though plays like WR DK Metcalf’s 80-yard Dublin touchdown and TE Pat Freiermuth’s 68-yard score stick out, quick scores aren’t artificially bringing this number down.

Even in games where Pittsburgh should be possessing the ball, they aren’t. In the five-takeaway game against New England, the Steelers were out-snapped 71-49. In the six-takeaway game versus Indianapolis two weeks ago, it was a similar story. The Colts out-snapped the Steelers 74-61.

It’s inexplicable. It’s hard to believe Pittsburgh has been this bad for more than half the season. And in the inverse, it’s forcing the Steelers’ defense to be on the field more than anyone else. Not quite the historic number of the offense, though it’s close, but for a veteran roster, it’s not sustainable. Pittsburgh’s defense can do more to get its own stops and give the ball back to the offense; the third-down defense ranks 22nd, but this is centrally an offensive problem. Even when the defense plays well, the offense can’t keep the ball.

It’s no wonder that Pittsburgh’s offense has often been out of sync and unable to get into a rhythm. The plays aren’t there to build upon something. It’s spurts and stops and starts, which is reflected in the offensive performance that has been equally disjointed.