After moving on from offensive coordinator Matt Canada, firing the much-maligned coordinator midway through his third season with franchise, things could be looking up for the offense of the Pittsburgh Steelers, starting in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Though the system remains the same, a new play caller in veteran coach Mike Sullivan could breathe some new life into a stagnant offense, especially in the passing game.
Former NFL quarterback David Carr, now an analyst for NFL Network, certainly sees that being the case.
Having worked with Sullivan during his time with the New York Giants as a backup quarterback, Carr sees the Steelers’ passing game having a huge week with Sullivan pushing all the right buttons for second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett against the Bengals.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers unleash their full potential on offense against division-rival Cincinnati, with interim OC Eddie Faulkner and new offensive play-caller Mike Sullivan replacing Matt Canada. The move pays off for Kenny Pickett, who goes for 300-plus yards and a trio of touchdowns in a Pittsburgh win,” Carr writes for NFL.com in a bold prediction piece for Week 12.
That would be quite the breakout for Pickett, who has only ever thrown for two touchdowns in a game one time in his career, that feat being accomplished in Week Three against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Since Oct. 8, Pickett has thrown just two touchdown passes. That’s total. He’s also had just one 300-yard game in his career, that coming in Week Five of his rookie season — his first start — in a 38-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills on the road.
Three touchdowns AND 300 yards in a game seems like a very tall task. That’s why it’s a bold prediction from Carr though.
Outside of Pickett in the offense under new co-offensive coordinators Mike Sullivan and Eddie Faulkner, one other NFL Network analyst sees a big day coming from another second-year player, that being running back Jaylen Warren.
NFL.com’s Michael Florio is predicting a career day — again — from Warren, topping 200 yards of total offense in a win over the Bengals.
“The Steelers have a new offensive play caller in Mike Sullivan, and it could (should) lead to Jaylen Warren getting a much larger share of the backfield workload. In a favorable game script against the Bengals, Warren breaks off multiple big runs and tops his 145 scrimmage yards from last week with an impressive 200-yard performance,” Florio writes of his bold prediction.
Warren is coming off of a career day in Week 11 against the Cleveland Browns, rushing for 129 yards on nine carries. He finished with 145 total yards on 12 touches, ripping off a 74-yard touchdown run in the process.
He was the best player on the Steelers’ offense throughout the matchup, though he was still out-snapped and out-touched by running back Najee Harris.
With the change in offensive coordinator, Warren could see more snaps and touches as he is outplaying Harris, though the two work together very well as a great tandem.
Warren is on quite a heater that last few weeks and somehow continues to get better and better. Hopefully there’s a more consistent workload for the undrafted running back. He’s more than earned it.
