The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense didn’t just look different in results. It was a lean and efficient group consistently putting the ball in the end zone with four-straight touchdown drives. A group that spread the ball around. And even on a night in which the Steelers made history with two tight ends scoring rushing touchdowns, the offense shifted away from Arthur Smith’s favorite targets in Monday night’s win.

“Last night was the most 11 personnel I’ve ever seen the Steelers run,” analyst and former NFL linebacker Manti Te’o said on Tuesday’s Good Morning Football. “In the first 14 weeks of the season, they only run 11 personnel 34 percent of the time. Last night, they ran it 53 percent of the time. This is Aaron Rodgers starting to implement the game that he likes to run. Oh by the way, the first passing touchdown he threw to was his former teammate in MVS.”

The words from Te’o are a little hyperbolic but his point is understood. Before Arthur Smith and certainly during Ben Roethlisberger’s prime, Pittsburgh was primarily an 11 personnel offense, meaning three receivers and one tight end. Hired in 2024, Smith brought his patented style of using multiple tight ends. Last night, the offense opened up.

As Dave Bryan shared, the Steelers used 11 personnel more than they used multiple tight ends. Even though Pittsburgh played the entire second half with a lead and could’ve easily gone with its big and power packages, the offense leaned on its receivers throughout.

Steelers offensive personnel groupings versus Dolphins:

personnel/plays:

11 – 34
12 – 10
12e – 6
13 – 8
13e – 6
21 – 1
03 – 1

e=eligible lineman as TE

Used a lot of 11 personnel!#Steelers #NFL

— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) December 16, 2025

The decision paid off. Marquez Valdes-Scantling made a key second half play to open up the third quarter with a 19 yard touchdown on his first catch as a Steeler. DK Metcalf stacked strong outings with 55 yards and an “angry run” touchdown.

“This is Aaron starting to implement his offense, but still staying true to the Pittsburgh hard-nosed physical brand of football that we’ve been accustomed to seeing,” Te’o said. “So I was happy to see that. It’s been good to see that the melding of these two offenses coming together.”

Despite the increase in receiver usage, Pittsburgh’s tight ends remained plenty involved. Darnell Washington, Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith combined for eight catches. Four of them went for first downs while a fifth was picked up thanks to a Miami taunting penalty. Smith and Connor Heyward scored on the ground.

The past two weeks, Rodgers has looked increasingly comfortable in the offense. Some of that may be due to the bump in receiver usage, but the veteran know-how of Adam Thielen and Marquez Valdes-Scantling is also playing a role. Whether it’s featuring tight ends, receivers, or a blend of both, Pittsburgh will need its best offensive showing to upset the Detroit Lions Sunday.