In recent weeks, the debate raged regarding the struggles of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense and if the issues were more related to offensive coordinator Matt Canada or second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett.
The answer wasn’t exactly a one-or-the-other thing. It was a combination of both. But it was rather telling on Sunday in Week 12 on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals just how different the offense felt and how much better it performed in the first game after Canada was fired last Tuesday.
That includes Pickett, who turned in one of the best performances his career, completing 24-of-33 passes for 278 yards. He played with confidence, attacked downfield, processed well and was accurate with the football, leading to a strong day in the passing game.
For former NFL defensive end Chris Long, Pickett’s performance Sunday in the first game after the Canada tenure felt like a sigh of relief from the second-year quarterback.
“If you need any evidence that it was Matt Canada….yesterday, you can explain a lot of shit away. But you can’t explain 58 games without 400 yards. Numbers never lie. And they go out there and….I’m not gonna hold the points against them because what I saw from Kenny Pickett was confidence and the run-game perimeter run sets up the inside run,” Long said of the Steelers’ offense while appearing on the latest episode of his Green Light Podcast. “Like, they look like a functional running football team. And in the pass game, it’s not just [Pat] Freiermuth down the seam. It’s not just discovering a tight end who is the best friend of a young quarterback. It’s also the two balls that [Pickett] delivered outside the numbers.
“Everybody loves the tight end and, yes, the touchdown to Diontae Johnson, which should have been challenged. These are great throws, man. These are legitimately really good throws. And I think Kenny Pickett feels like he probably breathed the sigh of relief for reasons unknown.”
Sometimes, change can be very positive. It seems that the change in offensive coordinators for the Steelers was very positive as Pittsburgh attacked downfield consistently in the passing game, had great balance overall with a strong run game, and really just felt like a different offense in general.
Pickett took advantage of that downfield passing attack, connecting on four explosive plays through the air, including two 20-plus yard air-yard completions, matching his season total in that stat. Yes, you read that right.
Pickett was on the money throughout the matchup. He looked as cool, calm and collected as he has at any point in the NFL, even against pressure looks. There was no real panic from him. He had the answers pre-snap, stood in there and fired the pigskin around the field with confidence.
It was great to see, encouraging even. There’s something to build on there, even if it was just one game.
That sigh of relief is real. There’s a fresh perspective above him in co-coordinators Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan. It also sounds like there’s a better form of communication when it comes to game planning. Sounds simple, but it’s huge in the grand scheme of things, and the Steelers saw a great return on it right away Sunday.
