Steelers Should Go For Two Every Time

The Pittsburgh Steelers are heralding an offensive renaissance in the NFL before our very eyes. Through just two games, one of the league’s most explosive units has taken full advantage of the NFL’s rule changes to the PAT and two-point conversion attempt, and it is already paying big dividends in the ‘Burgh.

So much so that this fan is convinced the team should go for two after every touchdown. The Steelers converted their first two attempts during Sunday’s decimation of the San Francisco 49ers, jumping out to a rapid 16-3 lead and never letting their opponents back into the game.

On Wednesday, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger made some encouraging comments regarding his team’s philosophy on offense.

“Oh, we’re going to keep [going for two],” assured Big Ben. “We don’t practice it this much to not do it. We practice it every single day. I tried to tell you guys early on that we would do it, and I think you guys kind of didn’t quite believe it. But it’s something we feel comfortable with.”

By the time they scored their first touchdown, Mike Tomlin finally saw fit to send out struggling kicker Josh Scobee for one measly point. Doink – off the left upright and no good. By game’s end, the Steelers had improved to a stellar 14/16 successful two-point attempts under Tomlin.

With an offense this dangerous, it would be a crime to limit their point scoring abilities, even after a drive has ended with six points.

Offensive coordinator Todd Haley said just last season that one of their biggest errors as a team was leaving too many points on the field. What better way to rectify that than putting the job in the hands of your most capable skill weapons and future Hall of Fame signal caller?

If one were to make the very, very misleading assumption that a team will convert 100% of its 33-yard PAT attempts in any given game, then that same team only needs to be successful on more than 50% of its two-point attempts to enjoy a greater return on investment.

On a team like Pittsburgh, that conundrum is sweetened by a kicker who already looks well past his prime and a rolling offense that, by the way, is still without its All-Pro center, #2 receiver, and the best running back in the game. With Le’Veon Bell set to finally take the field this week, things could get ugly quickly in St. Louis.