The Pittsburgh Steelers have had quite a roller coaster ride of a season so far. Despite standing at 2-2 in what seems to be a wide-open AFC outside of the top few teams, optimism levels are low. They have two of the worst losses of the Mike Tomlin era this season, in Week One against the San Francisco 49ers, and in Week Four against the Houston Texans. In a game they were road favorites, the Steelers failed to score a touchdown against the Texans in a 30-6 drubbing.
For NFL Analyst Brian Baldinger, the Steelers’ problems stem from their lack of offense. He talked about those struggles, specifically against the Texans, on 93.7 The Fan’s The Cook and Joe Show Wednesday morning.
“There was a stretch there in the second quarter, where all they did was punt. It was basically three and out, three and out three. You gotta get a first down,” Baldinger told Ron Cook and Joe Starkey. “When I watch the Steelers, they remind me of the other six or eight terrible offenses in football right now.”
While there were a lot of promising signs in the training camp, it seems the Steelers’ offense isn’t any different, if not worse, than what we’ve seen over the past few years. It appeared to be a solid offseason for the Steelers. They added a good amount of talent on the offensive side ofr the ball, but now there are just a lot of question marks: the offensive line, if Kenny Pickett is the guy, the looming Pat Freiermuth extension decision. But the most common complaint has been about the play calling of offensive coordinator Matt Canada, who has not had a lot of success with the team since he assumed the role in 2021.
“[Canada] has not had success. He’s been given a lot this year. Things aren’t any better. Sometimes you just need a fresh approach, a different approach,” Baldinger said. “There are things that you can change from a schematic standpoint, that you have to change when you’re struggling as much as the Steelers are on offense right now.”
Canada is quite the easy scapegoat for Steelers fans. Calls like the play in which Pickett got hurt last Sunday certainly don’t help his case, and for the third season in a row, the Steelers currently rank outside the NFL’s top 20 in points per game. And as Baldinger referenced, this was supposed to be the year for Canada. The quarterback situation was clear cut, the Steelers invested in the offensive line, the weapons room around Pickett looked league average at least. It didn’t and still doesn’t seem like there are any more excuses for Canada.
But Canada’s poor performance shouldn’t excuse anyone else’s. Many, including Baldinger, have argued that the problem, and potential solutions in the coaching room, goes far beyond him.
“If they have another stinker at home like they did against San Francisco, then, every coach should be in the spotlight and should be on the griddle, Mike Tomlin included,” Baldinger argued. “But I think this is a real pivotal week for the Steelers and what direction they go right now.”
While every game in the short NFL season is important, the game this week against the Baltimore Ravens feels particularly so for the Steelers. Win and you head into your bye week first in the AFC North. Lose, and head into your bye week at 2-3, and feeling like drastic changes need to be made.
