Wyche: Pat Freiermuth says the Steelers need to stop doing “stupid stuff” in the red zone

Do no damage. It’s the other doctors and the approach that the Pittsburgh Steelers need to adopt once they reach the red zone. Self-inflicted wounds are one of the reasons the team enters Week 13 with the 30th-ranked red zone offense, a blot on an organization hoping to win the division and its first playoff games in eight years. NFL Network’s Steve Wyche reported Sunday morning that TE Pat Freiermuth gave an honest assessment of how Pittsburgh could score more touchdowns.

“As Pat Freiermuth told me, when they get in scoring position, they have to stop doing stupid stuff,” Wyche said on NFLN’s Gameday Morning. False starts, holding penalties, dropping passes. Because plays were there.”

It’s the worst Dr. Seuss book you could read. False starts, penalties, falls and mistakes. Oh, the places the Steelers will go. Which, as it turns out, is just a step backwards. In such valuable real estate, details and flaws are highlighted. A dropped pass looms. A punishment that is harder to overcome. And there were plenty of both.

The New York Giants game is a prime example. A flag on OT Broderick Jones negated a touchdown, while another time WR George Pickens failed to get both feet on the ball, negating another score. QB Russell Wilson threw a pick against the Baltimore Ravens, while an (albeit questionable) offensive pass interference took another score off the board in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos. With small sample sizes in the red, this narrow list of errors has a big impact. Hypothetically, if Pittsburgh reached the end zone on all of those drives, they would be 18th in red zone offense.

However, in articles like these only hypotheses play a role. All that matters is that Pittsburgh starts producing. A more informed and intelligent plan will also help from OC Arthur Smith, who is not expected to transfer to North Carolina this offseason. Using Pat Freiermuth at tight could also help. He only has seven red zone targets this season. That’s just one more than WR Van Jefferson. The throw to Pat Freiermuth was productive, resulting in five first downs and three touchdowns.

They will have a great chance against the 31st-ranked Cincinnati Bengals red zone defense, which has allowed teams to convert at 75 percent over the last four games. The Steelers will likely need points knowing the Bengals can only score.