The Pittsburgh Steelers managed to go over 400 yards of total offense against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, something that they were unable to do throughout Matt Canada’s tenure as offensive coordinator. The belief by many was that Canada’s firing last week Tuesday would create a spark for this offense, one that had been dormant for the entire 2023 season, getting outgained by every opponent but the Steelers still managing to squeeze out victories and get to a 6-4 record before firing their former play caller.
The passing game especially came alive in Cincinnati. QB Kenny Pickett threw for a season-high 278 yards while completing multiple shots down the field, looking more like an NFL passer than a check-down specialist we had seen up to this point. Former Steelers safety Ryan Clark spoke about Pickett’s performance and the overall performance of the offense against the Bengals on Get Up Monday morning, calling the decision to fire Canada a catalyst that sparked the offense.
“There was at least a level of confidence that seemed like addition by subtraction,” Clark, an ESPN NFL analyst, said on Get Up. “It almost seemed like this team said, ‘Let me show you what we can do if we aren’t coached by him.’ If I’m Kenny Pickett, ‘Let me show you I can push the football down the field if I’m allowed to.’ Think about the throw to Diontae Johnson in the first half. Now you get the slot seam to George Pickens in the second. It wasn’t perfect, and you can’t expect it to be, but to sit here and say that it wasn’t better at least at a level of aggression I think would be to sort of diminish what they were able to do.”
Watching the game on Sunday, it’s hard to argue that there wasn’t some sort of addition by subtraction component with Canada no longer the one calling the plays. The Steelers picked up chuck plays both on the ground and through the air as Pickett opened things up in the passing game. The offense utilized the middle of the field more compared to when Canada was running the show, finding Pat Freiermuth down the seam on multiple occasions as the third-year tight end turned in his best game of his young career.
The offense was clearly better on Sunday with QB Coach Mike Sullivan calling the plays and RB Coach Eddie Faulkner handling duties as offensive coordinator in preparation for the game. Some of that could be due to a sense of urgency to perform better by the players after seeing their coach get fired due to their lack of production the last few years. But it’s hard to argue with the results that Pittsburgh got from its offense without Canada being the guy in front of the play sheet compared to being the guy in Pickett’s ear.
There appeared to be more flow with this offense compared to years past, stacking plays to build successful drives. There also was a component of going to certain players and not just running plays, like on WR George Pickens’ 43-yard reception down the sideline, Pickens being the ideal target in that situation. Pittsburgh looked more free and loose on offense, in a sense pointing to addition by subtraction. The play calling as well as the general flow of the offense received a much-needed breath of fresh air thanks to the change at offensive coordinator.
