The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense only managed 10 points in their second game since firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada, and the Arizona Cardinals had a little fun with the fact that they were able to beat Pittsburgh 24-10. According to Brian Batko in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Cardinals defended Canada a bit during their locker room celebration after the game.
“Matt Canada was at the crib watching that game like, ‘I’m the problem, huh,” Batko wrote that a Cardinals players shouted, while another replied “These guys still stink.”
With the Cardinals keeping the Steelers out of the end zone except for one garbage-time touchdown and otherwise holding them to just one field goal, it’s fair criticism. The Steelers were sloppy, picking up multiple illegal formation penalties with multiple bad snaps also hurting Pittsburgh. It was an ugly game, and one that reflects poorly on the players and the coaching staff. The offense didn’t look all that much better from when Canada was running it, and the Cardinals took glee in the fact that they made the Steelers’ offense look that bad again.
Coming into the game at 2-10, not many people gave the Cardinals a chance of upsetting Pittsburgh at Acrisure Stadium. Not only did Arizona win, it embarrassed Pittsburgh. The Steelers were bad in all phases of the game, and the Cardinals ran away with the win. They deserve to take a victory lap, even though I’m not sure Canada is watching the game thrilled at his offense and his former assistants and players failing to succeed.
As we all know by now, with Canada as Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator, the Steelers never had a 400-plus yard game and were outgained in every game this season. They immediately went out and put up over 400 yards against the Bengals in Week 12, and they did outgain the Cardinals, but a lot of those yards came in garbage time with the game already decided.
With how thoroughly the Cardinals dominated the Steelers, they have a right to celebrate and take some shots at Pittsburgh. They were the better team, and they were better prepared. They came in and got a road win to boost some morale in what’s otherwise been a lost season.
Pittsburgh is now on the ropes at 7-5 after dropping a game it should’ve won. With a short week ahead of the Steelers, they’ll have to prove that they’re a much better team than what they showed on Sunday. The players are going to need to execute better, and the coaching staff is going to need to be better across the board. We’ll see if they can avoid losing to a second straight 2-10 team when the New England Patriots come to Acrisure Stadium on Thursday.
