Matt Canada’s tenure as offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh is over. An overdue move and one of the least successful in Pittsburgh, things came to a head after Sunday’s 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns, the Steelers having one of their worst passing outputs in the last 20 years. With frustration nearly boiling over, Pittsburgh made the historic change to swap coordinators, firing Canada and replacing him with Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan in dual roles (Faulkner leading the game planning and organization, Sullivan calling the plays).
Like a starting pitcher who just got shelled, the book’s closed on Canada. Let’s look back at his tenure and why the Steelers did something they’ve never done before, firing a coordinator midseason. It means things had gotten pretty bad. And oh boy, were they.
All of the Steelers’ problems weren’t his fault. But he’s the coach. He’s responsible for everything that happens out on the field. We wrote in January this was the year to land the plane. He skidded off the runway instead.
Below is a collection of all of the terrible, miserable, no-good stats of the Steelers’ offense under Matt Canada. A “resume” for why he was fired. And why it was justified.
2023
– On a per-drive basis in 2023, the Steelers’ offense ranks:
– 31st in time of possession
– 31st in plays
– 30th in yards
– 29th in points
– Pittsburgh is 30th in first downs this season.
– They’re 31st in passing yards.
– They’re 29th in scoring drive percentage (the number of drives that end in points).
Points
– From a per-game standpoint, here’s where the Steelers have ranked over the last three seasons:
2021: 21st
2022: 26th
2023: 28th
A slow descent towards the bottom of the NFL. Pittsburgh is averaging just 16.6 points per game this season. That would be worse than its 2019 output with a second-year Mason Rudolph and Duck Hodges rotating at quarterback; that squad averaged 18.1 points per game. If 2023’s number holds, it’ll be the Steelers’ worst output since 1970 when they averaged 15 points per game and finished 5-9 in Chuck Noll’s second season.
Some other points stats.
– The Steelers haven’t scored 30 points in a win in 51 games, the NFL’s longest streak. They never achieved it under Canada.
– It’s been more than one year since the Steelers scored 30 points in any game, regardless of outcome. They last did so on Nov. 20, 2022, when they lost 37-30 to the Cincinnati Bengals.
– They scored 30 points only twice under Canada, the least by any team in football.
– They had only 16 games with 21-plus points. That’s 30th in football since 2021, only ahead of the New York Jets and New York Giants.
– In 2023, the Steelers have four games with 10 or fewer points. That is second-worst in football. Only the Giants have more (five).
– During his tenure, Pittsburgh won only three games by more than one score. That’s tied with the Atlanta Falcons and Giants for the fewest in football. A team stat, not just an offensive one, but these close outcomes weren’t exactly because the team was playing in big-time shootouts, that’s for sure.
Touchdowns
– From 2021-23, the Steelers have scored 79 touchdowns. That ranks 31st in football. Only the New York Jets (76) have less.
– In 2023, they’ve recorded 16 touchdowns. Only the Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, and Jets have less.
– With Canada as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator, Pittsburgh threw only 42 passing touchdowns. That’s tied for 29th. Only the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers were worse, each team throwing 41.
– Since Week Four of this season, a seven-game span for Pittsburgh, the Steelers have three passing touchdowns. That’s dead last.
Yards
– As has become the popular benchmark, the Steelers never had a 400-yard game under Matt Canada. They’re the only team not to have one since 2021.
– From a per-game standpoint, here’s where Pittsburgh ranked in total yardage year-by-year.
2021: 23rd
2022: 23rd
2023: 28th
If the Steelers were to finish this season 28th in yardage, it would be their second-worst finish in the last 33 years, since 1990. The only time it was worse was the 2019 year; again, the Rudolph/Hodges season where Pittsburgh had virtually zero offensive talent.
– Since Week Four to present day, the Steelers have 1,074 passing yards. That’s last in the NFL, a full 70 yards behind the Cleveland Browns, who have started three different quarterbacks over that time frame.
Situational
– Pittsburgh’s red zone ranking year-by-year.
2021: 23rd
2022: 23rd
2023: 25th
Somehow worse this year than the last two seasons.
– Since 2021, the Steelers have scored on just 13 opening-possession drives. That’s tied for 26th in the NFL.
– Only eight of those drives have resulted in touchdowns. That’s tied for 21st, somehow a “good” number on this list.
– Their 26 punts on opening possessions are 31st in football. Only the New York Jets have more (29).
– On 3rd and long (seven yards or more), Pittsburgh converted only 19.2 percent of the time during Canada’s tenure. That’s 28th in the NFL.
Advanced Stats
– One last one for you. According to Pro Football Reference’s “expected points,” essentially a measure of offensive/defensive success, the Steelers have been negative in exactly half of their games, 22 of 44. In 2023, they’ve been negative in six of 10.
