When the Pittsburgh Steelers head to Cleveland to take on the Browns Sunday, they will be facing a rookie quarterback under center in Dorian Thompson-Robinson. This should give the Pittsburgh defense ample opportunities to attack Thompson-Robinson if they can slow the Browns’ rushing attack. Conversely, when Pittsburgh has the ball, they will look to build on the recent success of the running game over the last two games, both wins. The passing game is still struggling to generate much in the way of points, but the run game has come alive including a 200+-yard performance against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday.
When you look at how the Pittsburgh run game has worked the last two weeks and the fact that the Browns are starting a rookie quarterback, it should be a prime opportunity for Pittsburgh to continue to hang close to the Baltimore Ravens at the top of the AFC North standings. CBS Sports Radio host Zach Gelb sees this week as arguably the most important one for Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Matt Canada. He discussed his thoughts on Friday’s episode of the Zach Gelb Show, and he did not hold back.
“If the Steelers lose this game to Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Kenny Pickett can’t do jack on offense and the Steelers’ offense can’t do anything, I don’t want to hear Mike Tomlin defend his offensive coordinator after the game,” Gelb said. “If Matt Canada can’t find a way to put more points on the board than Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s Cleveland Browns, he needs to be shown the door and he needs to be fired after this game.”
Canada has been under fire all season long. A lot of people, fans and media alike, bought into the preseason hype of five first-team offensive drives and five touchdowns. Unfortunately, that preseason success did not translate into regular season performance. There are those, including former Steelers OT Max Starks, who put more of the onus on QB Kenny Pickett. However, it is the offensive coordinator’s responsibility to put his players in the best position to succeed on a weekly basis. There’s plenty of statistical evidence to really question if Canada is the one to do that.
Now, as noted above, the Steelers’ run game has come to life over the last two games. They ran for 166 yards in the win over the Tennessee Titans before rushing for 205 yards against the Packers. That is quite an improvement after the team only broke the 100-yard mark twice in the first seven games of the season.
However, there has not been a corresponding improvement in the passing game. The highest number of passing yards by Pickett and the offense was 228 yards, and that came back in Week Three against the Las Vegas Raiders. The offense has only passed for 200+ yards in four games this season, and the last time that happened was in Week Seven against the Los Angeles Rams.
Now the Steelers face the number one defense in the league in terms of yards allowed. However, the opposing offense is now helmed by a rookie quarterback making his second career start. So while Pickett and company will face a stiff task, so will Thompson-Robinson
That would be the reason that Gelb is so adamant that Canada needs to engineer a quality offensive game plan that sees Pickett and the rest of the offense outscore a rookie. Now I know what you’re going to say. The Pittsburgh Steelers will never make a move mid-season. You might even say that a move shouldn’t be made mid-season outside of the bye week. Gelb does not care, and he’s looking at a very recent example to back him up.
“We just saw the Buffalo Bills get rid of Ken Dorsey coming off a loss,” Gelb said. “You lose to Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and your offense looks lethargic and putrid, I don’t want to see Matt Canada have a job on Monday.”
There’s no question that Browns DE Myles Garrett and the rest of that defense will look to do everything in their power to wreck shop for four quarters this Sunday. Pittsburgh’s offense under Canada needs to be prepared for that. Pickett needs to continue his league-leading active streak of passing attempts without a touchdown because the Steelers are 5-1 this season when he doesn’t throw an interception. The only loss came against the Jacksonville Jaguars when he got hurt and did not play in the second half.
Regardless, there is plenty of belief that Canada will not be the Steelers’ offensive coordinator in 2024. If the offense struggles on Sunday and Pittsburgh falls to 6-4, the pressure will be on even more than before. The Cincinnati Bengals ruled QB Joey Burrow out for the season earlier Friday. The Browns are without QB Deshaun Watson for the rest of the season. There is plenty of opportunity for the Steelers to make a big push for the playoffs, and they don’t want to waste another season of T.J. Watt’s career because of a terrible offense.
Something needs to change, especially in the passing game. Even with the caliber of defense that Cleveland will put on the field, there’s pressure on Canada. If he can’t get it fixed, the Steelers need to find out quickly if someone else can. Yes, we know the Steelers have a major emphasis on loyalty. However, they can’t afford to be loyal to an offensive coordinator who can’t get the job done. Otherwise, a golden opportunity for the playoffs will go out the window.
