Arthur Smith addition by subtraction for Falcons has to be torturing Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are 2-0 with a manageable schedule on the horizon, so there's plenty to get excited about in PGH. Mike Tomlin almost always fields a contender, no matter what forces are working against him, and this season should be no different if the Steelers' current pace continues.

That said, this early in the season, results can be misleading. There are 0-2 teams that are probably better than the 2-0 Steelers. Ask me right now which AFC North team compels me the most as a postseason threat, and my honest answer is the Baltimore Ravens, even after a heartbreaking and somewhat dejecting loss to the Las Vegas Raiders this past Sunday.

Pittsburgh has won twice with a combined margin of victory of 15 points. It was 18-10 over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1, then 13-6 over the Broncos in Week 2. The Steelers' offense has scored one touchdown through eight quarters, relying heavily on the superhuman efforts of kicker Chris Boswell to buoy these scoring efforts.

The reason Pittsburgh is 2-0 has very little to do with the offense at all. It's the defense, led by potential DPOY candidate T.J. Watt, that has absolutely obliterated opponents. The Steelers' pass rush looks unmatched right now; it probably didn't hurt that half-speed Kirk Cousins and rookie Bo Nix were their first two opponents.

If fact, Pittsburgh has probably won two games in spite of its anemic offense.

Meanwhile, in Atlanta, the Falcons are celebrating an impressive 22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football. The star of the show was sophomore RB Bijan Robinson, who netted 14 carries for 97 yards (6.9 YPC) and added another 25 yards through the air on four receptions. It was a dominant and versatile display from the Texas product, who beat the Eagles every which way.

After the game, Robinson let slip a quote that sounds an awful lot like a veiled shot at his former head coach, Arthur Smith. Who is the Steelers' new offensive play-caller this season? Yeah.

Bijan Robinson appears to celebrate life after Arthur Smith in Falcons offense

Last season was undeniably productive for Robinson, at least by typical RB standards, but it felt like a letdown to Atlanta fans. Robinson was the No. 8 pick in the draft, in an era when high running back picks are exceedingly rare. The league continues to value RBs less with each passing season, so investing too much offensive stock in Robinson — after one of the most impressive college campaigns in recent RB history — spurred a certain level of expectation in the fanbase.

Robinson wasn't just asked to contribute as a rookie, he was asked to live up to his top-10 pick billing out of the gate. To justify a controversial decision from the Falcons front office.

With Desmond Ridder at the controls, Atlanta's offense was geared toward the run, so there was plenty working in Robinson's favor. The only issue? Well, Athur Smith did not fancy Robinson a bell cow. Instead, Atlanta's backfield operated steadfastly by committee, with a significant portion of snaps allocated to Tyler Allegier and Cordarelle Patterson.

Robinson was still the nominal RB1, but the split in touches between him and Allegier was often indistinguishable. Last season, with the freshest legs he will ever have at the NFL level and a QB who couldn't throw past the first-down marker half the time, Robinson exceeded 97 yards in rushing — his total from Monday night — a grand total of two times.

You will be hard-pressed to earnestly complain about 1,463 yards from scrimmage, but Robinson achieved that impressive number with what felt like one hand tied behind his back, or one foot stuck in a cement block. Arthur Smith constantly eschewed the Falcons' top weapons in the name of balance, spreading touches around and watching as Atlanta's extremely talented playmaking corps faltered on a nightly basis.

New Falcons OC Zac Robinson ain't perfect — he already caught criticism for his deployment of Kirk Cousins in Week 1 — but he seems to be feeding Bijan, Drake London, and the Atlanta heavyweights, which is just plain logical.

The Steelers, on the other hand, can't seem to generate much offense despite a dedicated run game. Najee Harris has been plenty involved, and Fields is as dangerous as ever scrambling with the football, but defenses are content to load up the middle and play the run. Until the Steelers can start throwing the football and finding ways to unlock their top playmakers, it won't be pretty.