The Steelers managed to quickly change their public perception on Thursday night, getting a win against the Tennessee Titans in prime time to move to 5-3 on the season after losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday. It wasn’t a pretty win, as none of the Steelers’ wins so far this year have been convincing, but they once again found a way to make the necessary plays both offensively and defensively to come out on top over the visiting Titans.
One key change that Pittsburgh made going into the Titans game was moving OC Matt Canada from the booth to the sidelines. Former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher was a fan of the move, stating that the offense appeared to be more in-sync with Canada on the field.
“If they want to go far and get into the playoffs, the offense needs to continue to progress,” Cowher said via video from NFL on CBS’ Twitter page. “I like the fact that Matt Canada was on the sideline. It seemed like he was more in tune and in touch with his team. I think that was a step in the right direction. And now, they’re coming off a little bit of a bye week with a Thursday night game. They are in a good position, and they are playing well, and they are healthy.”
Both QB Kenny Pickett and WR Diontae Johnson noted the benefits of having Canada on the sideline following the game, stating that the offensive coordinator could go over to each position group and have conversations with them and what he wants to see from them to be a cohesive unit. Cowher mentioned the same thing, stating that Canada looked more in tune with his team as he could communicate with every member of the offense rather than just to Pickett from his headset in the booth.
Pittsburgh’s offense appeared more in-sync from the get-go, going right down the field on the opening drive and punching it into the end zone, a feat the Steelers hadn’t accomplished all season. The offense stalled a bit after the opening drive as Pickett missed some open receivers and the team settled for field goals after failing to convert on a couple of third downs. However, the Steelers managed to finish the game the way they started it out, going down the field to get the go-ahead touchdown with Pickett connecting with Johnson late in the fourth quarter to give Pittsburgh the lead.
This offense isn’t where it needs to be for Pittsburgh to be considered a viable playoff contender, but we did see subtle signs of improvement last Thursday with Canada on the field. The Steelers need to get a couple of key guys healthy, like S Minkah Fitzpatrick and TE Pat Freiermuth, but Pittsburgh appears to have found a small tweak that could yield positive results going forward for this offense.
