You know it. I know. I hope the team knows it. But Matt Canada’s play call on fourth and 1 late in the third quarter of Sunday’s awful 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans is the worst of his career. And that’s saying something.
Let’s count the ways.
1. It’s fourth and 1. The Steelers had been running well in the second half, finally finding success on the ground. Matt Canada decided to throw.
2. Pittsburgh went into shotgun as opposed to being under center. Maybe the least egregious part of the call but the Steelers’ downhill approach had been working.
3. No play-action. Not even a hint of a run threat to hold the linebackers or freeze the defense.
4. Though this is during/after the play, QB Kenny Pickett suffered a knee injury that could cause him to miss time.
If your eyes can stand it, here’s a look at the play.
Everything about this is wrong. Everything. Najee Harris was showing why he’s a big and powerful runner throughout the half. He doesn’t get the ball. Instead, it’s a five-step drop with seemingly nothing quick-hitting at the sticks. We’ll have to check the All-22 to judge the intent and design – whatever they could’ve possibly been – but this is a play you call on third and 7, fourth and 6, not fourth and 1.
To top it all off, Pickett gets bent, twisted, and taken to the ground. As of this writing, we don’t know how long he’ll be out for, but it would be reasonable to expect him to miss some time. A young quarterback trying to find his footing (who, to be fair, also played poorly in this game) now dealing with an injury. One that was completely avoidable.
It’s a comedy of errors and sums up the game. The Texans knew who they were. Their coaching staff did laps around the Steelers. The Steelers have no clue who they are or who they want to be. Power running? Spread passing? Quarterback drive? Running back drive? Their personality is an endless array of failed things. There’s no direction, no clue. It’s all worth expanding on in a separate article but this play is all you need to sum up the game. A terrible call. A terrible plan. And an absolute butt-kicking Sunday.
