Coordinated Effort: Arthur Smith, Teryl Austin Among Week 1’s Best Play Callers

A Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator called one of the best games of the week. When was the last time you read that? Normally, the only place you saw Matt Canada’s name was on a College GameDay sign. According to data analyst Steven Patton, OC Arthur Smith and DC Teryl Austin were top-three coordinators of Week 1.

As he notes, the sample size is small, making conclusions difficult, but it’s hard not to be impressed by the job both coordinators did. And it should be noted that Mike Tomlin has a heavy hand in defensive game planning and play calling, making Austin’s ranking less significant. And if you’re looking for detail on how these numbers are created, you can check out his formula here.

Pittsburgh’s offense featured a safe and conservative game plan intent on not letting Atlanta safeties Jessie Bates III and Justin Simmons take over the game. With a quarterback situation in flux, playing on the road, and against an opponent without much tape, the Steelers stuck to running the ball. RB Najee Harris carried the ball 20 times while the Steelers ran it 41, their most in an opener since 2007.

Arthur Smith opened up the playbook in the second half. He used more play-action and rollouts to create easy half-field reads and completions for QB Justin Fields, keeping the offense on schedule and avoiding third and long, even if the team faced 17 total third downs.

Pittsburgh needs to be more productive. K Chris Boswell accounting for all 18 points isn’t sustainable, but there were hardly any play calls to be upset about on Smith’s end. Execution needs to improve. And when the offense needed a jolt, Smith schemed up WR George Pickens for big plays downfield.

Austin and the defense settled in after getting chewed up on the first drive. In the second half, they shut the Falcons down, holding them to one first down and 1.2 yards per play. QB Kirk Cousins was under constant pressure despite Pittsburgh’s decision not to blitz, Mike Tomlin pointing out Cousins’ success against extra rushers. Per our charting, the Steelers blitzed him only three times, mostly coming on “hug” rushes where the back or tight end stayed in. They sent only one DB blitz, a rush from SS DeShon Elliott that the Falcons countered with a screen pass.

After giving up early yards against the run, Pittsburgh contained RB Bijan Robinson the rest of the game, holding him to under 4 yards per carry and a long of 13.

Arthur Smith and Teryl Austin will have to prove themselves for the rest of the season. And the team’s ultimate goal is to win in the playoffs. There are far bigger goals on the horizon. But it all starts with a beginning and the first looks were promising.