Steelers tied for NFL lead in goal line TDs

The seven shots drill Steelers coach Mike Tomlin installed last year with hopes of improving his team’s ability to score and prevent opponents from scoring near the goal line turned out to be a great success. The Steelers opened every offseason and training camp practice with seven plays from the 2-yard line. It was a competitive drill between the offense and the defense designed to help both units improve their efficiency near the goal line.

The Steelers finished the season among the top 10 teams in scoring defense and led the NFL with seven red-zone turnovers. The improvements for the offense were just as impressive.

The Steelers and Patriots tied for the most touchdowns from inside the opponent’s 10-yard line with 28 apiece. That’s a huge jump from the 20 touchdowns the Steelers scored from inside the 10 in 2014.

Not only did the Steelers improve their production they were much more efficient. They scored touchdowns on 28 of their 76 snaps inside the 10 for a 37 percent touchdown rate. In 2014, the Steelers scored on just 20 of their 74 snaps (27 percent).

The 20 touchdowns ranked 12th in 2014, but the 27 percent represented the 27th-worst offense in the league in terms of goal line efficiency.

Scoring eight more touchdowns on only two more snaps is a huge jump from one season to the next. Over the final six games, including games against top defenses such as Seattle, Cincinnati and Denver, the Steelers performed at a 50 percent clip (13 for 27) inside the 10.

Unfortunately, for the Steelers they didn’t get to show off their goal line offense in the playoffs. After averaging almost five snaps inside the 10 per game during the regular season they did not penetrate the Cincinnati 10-yard line in the AFC wild card game and only had one snap inside the 10 in the AFC division round loss in Denver.

The Steelers scored on that only snap against the Broncos, but their inability to get closer to the goal line prevented them from advancing to the AFC championship game.

Some of the playoff woes can be explained away by weather conditions and injuries. The playoff game against the Bengals was played in a torrential downpour, and running back DeAngelo Williams did not play after injuring his foot in the regular-season finale at Cleveland. In Denver, the Steelers had to play again without Williams and All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown, who had a concussion.

Goal line offense is measured from the 9- to the 1-yard line. It’s a different statistic than the red zone, which is measured from the 19 to the 1.

The Steelers’ red-zone offense improved as well but not as much. The Steelers scored touchdowns on 57 of their trips inside the 20, a jump from 51 percent in 2014, but they still only ranked 13th in the league in red-zone efficiency in 2015.

Maybe this spring seven shots will begin at the 18-yard line.

Below is a game-by-game look at the goal line performance in 2015:

Steelers vs. Patriots

Snaps inside the 10: 8

Touchdowns: 1

Steelers vs. 49ers

Snaps inside the 10: 8

Touchdowns: 5

Steelers vs. Rams

Snaps inside the 10: 7

Touchdowns: 1

Steelers vs. Ravens

Snaps inside the 10: 1

Touchdowns: 1

Steelers vs. Chargers

Snaps inside the 10: 1

Touchdowns: 1

Steelers vs. Cardinals

Snaps inside the 10: 4

Touchdowns: 1

Steelers vs. Chiefs

Snaps inside the 10: 1

Touchdowns: 0

Steelers vs. Bengals

Snaps inside the 10: 3

Touchdowns: 1

Steelers vs. Raiders

Snaps inside the 10: 6

Touchdowns: 3

Steelers vs. Browns

Snaps inside the 10: 11

Touchdowns: 1

Steelers vs. Seahawks

Snaps inside the 10: 2

Touchdowns: 1

Steelers vs. Colts

Snaps inside the 10: 7

Touchdowns: 3

Steelers vs. Bengals

Snaps inside the 10: 5

Touchdowns: 2

Steelers vs. Broncos

Snaps inside the 10: 5

Touchdowns: 3

Steelers vs. Ravens

Snaps inside the 10: 3

Touchdowns: 2

Steelers vs. Browns

Snaps inside the 10: 5

Touchdowns: 2

PLAYOFFS

Steelers vs. Bengals

Snaps inside the 10: 0

Touchdowns: 0

Steelers vs. Broncos

Snaps inside the 10: 1

Touchdowns: 1