Anthony McFarland Is The X-Factor The Steelers' Offense Needs To Be Explosive In 2023

Heading into the 2023 NFL season, the Pittsburgh Steelers are shaping up to be one of the most improved teams from 2022. With additions along the offensive line, as well as in all three levels of the defense, the team has attempted to fill almost any weakness that they could find while retaining their top talent. In his first offseason as General Manager, Omar Khan has done a good job to this point, at least on paper. 

With that being said, there are a could questions the Steelers will have to answer heading into the 2023 season and we may not have those answers until the games are actually played. One of those questions is, where can the Steelers' offense get explosive plays from, and who do they utilize to get them? 

Throughout the entirety of the 2022 NFL season, the Steelers were notoriously one of the worst when it came to big plays. This led to them needing to put together longer scoring drives in terms of number of plays and typically time of possession. The time of possession part could be a benefit to them, but consistently having to put together six, seven and eight plus play drives is not something that a team should rely on as their only source of offense. 

In 2022, the Steelers recorded a grand total of three plays over 40 yards on offense, which was easily the worst in the league. The Arizona Cardinals and the Indianapolis Colts both were tied with five such plays, which were the next lowest marks around the league. All of the Steelers plays over 40 yards were in the passing game, which tied for the lowest, and they were one of three teams with zero runs over 40 yards. 

One player that often has Steeler Nation rolling their eyes when his name is brought up is Anthony McFarland Jr., but he can be a big part in solving this issue for the offense. 

Anthony McFarland Jr. Can Be The Steelers Ticket To Big Play Success

As stated, the Steelers didn't have any runs above 40 yards last season as both Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren failed to reach that mark. Neither player is going to hang their hat on their big play ability in terms of breaking off chunk gains. The team did fair better, both in the passing and running game, in terms of breaking off modest splash plays of 20+ yards, but still couldn't crack the top 20 in either category. 

McFarland has the unique ability to turn on the jets and leave defenders in the dust once he reaches the open field and that is evident by his success doing so during his time at Maryland. Coincidentally, McFarland's most successful season in 2018, Matt Canada happened to be the Terrapins' offensive coordinator, which means he knows how to use his abilities. Check these two huge runs he put together on back to back possessions against Ohio State.

It is well understood that college performance doesn't directly correlate to success in the NFL, especially at the running back position. McFarland's biggest knock coming out of college, outside of potentially his injury history, was the fact that he didn't seem to have the best feel for his blocks being set up and recognizing as holes were opening. That led to an up and down running style that was boom or bust at times, and that has been seen during his limited playing time with Pittsburgh. 

Unfortunately for McFarland, the Steelers' offensive line throughout his three-year career so far hasn't been the best in terms of opening running lanes. Being able to create something out of nothing isn't where McFarland will shine, as he works best when given clear lanes and space. That paired with some untimely injuries and the team drafting Harris has really limited his opportunities so far in his career. 

A lot of that could be changing in 2023 as the Steelers profile to have one of the best offensive lines in the league after what has been an eventful offseason and the team definitely has shown the desire to involve more players throughout the offense than in years past where they leaned so heavily on their starters at skill positions. 

In the NFL, there is no denying that speed kills, but it must be utilized in the proper manner. So now, the burden falls on Canada and his ability to get his best players the ball and put them in position to succeed. 

Do you think McFarland can be a big part of the Steelers' offense in 2023? Do you think Canada can find ways to get him the ball in space? Let us know in the comments below!

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