They arrived at the bye having lit up the Redskins, Chiefs and Jets and having fallen flat at Philadelphia and Miami, having put on tape a game-to-game disparity of performance offensive coordinator Todd Haley and the Steelers will be out to correct in the season's second half.
"It's pretty obvious we need to be more consistent game in and game out," Haley said. "We've shown we're capable of putting up a lot of points when we execute, run and pass. And the games where we haven't, we have't executed the finer details of the gameplan.
"We just need to have more consistency across the board. If we do that, we'll make good things happen."
Through seven games the Steelers (4-3) are No. 10 in the NFL in total offense (20th rushing, ninth passing).
In points per game the Steelers are tied for No. 11 in the NFL with Detroit (24.3).
They're more than a touchdown and a two-point conversion per outing behind league-leading Atlanta (32.7).
Moving parts have been a part of the equation since the regular-season opener on Sept. 12 at Washington.
Running back Le'Veon Bell missed the first three games due to suspension.
Offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert has missed the last three due to injury.
Guard Ramon Foster (one) and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (one) have also missed starts.
Wide receiver Eli Rogers (two) and wide receiver Markus Wheaton (four) have missed games due to injuries, and wide receiver Sammie Coates has played in the last two despite suffering a broken finger and needing 17 stitches on Oct. 9 against the Jets.
Tight end Ladarius Green hasn't played yet, although he practiced for the first time this week.
But Haley isn't making allowances for what the Steelers haven't had in assessing what they've done as an offense prior to the bye.
"That can't be an excuse for us," he said. "Whoever's in there has to execute what they're supposed to do, do their job on a down-in, down-out basis. We're not looking for excuses."
Haley cited last Sunday's 27-16 loss to New England as an example of what's been holding the offense back.
"We had every opportunity to put ourselves in position to win last Sunday and little execution details was the reason, at least on our side of the ball, we didn't get it done," he said. "They're all doable things, it's just guys doing what they're supposed to do and doing it how they're supposed to do it and we would have been plenty good enough to score enough points to have a chance to win."
Foster, likewise, expected better from the offense in the Patriots game, even with Landry Jones replacing Roethlisberger.
"We were on point with what we wanted to do," he said. "We hit the red zone and it just wasn't in our favor. Landry managed the game the way he was supposed to, our defense was getting turnovers, everything was working. The point of scoring, we gotta capitalize on those moments.
"When you're playing the good teams, field goals won't win it for you. We hit 30 points, we win. That's our goal and we didn't get close to that."
