Also FWIW other offenses that don’t use the middle of the field any more than we do statistically include the Eagles and Chiefs.

NFL offenses are aware throws outside the hashes are less risky and produce bigger average gains.

They haven’t consistently targeted the middle of the field for nearly a decade. Teams, not just the Steelers, are afraid to attack the middle because that’s where there are more defenders and the best chance of a turnover. And let’s make this clear: It’s not much different than the rest of the league. The Steelers have targeted the middle of the field 15 percent of the time, according to nfeloapp.com, which ranks 26th in the NFL. That’s ahead of top offenses like the Bengals, Bills, Eagles, Cowboys and Chiefs.