Mike Tomlin’s decision to fire Matt Canada likely had many layers to it. A frustrated locker room seemingly about to boil over. QB Kenny Pickett’s lack of progression. But it ultimately came down to one thing. Not enough points. The line Canada always went with, we just gotta score more, led to his downfall. With Canada at the helm, Pittsburgh didn’t put up enough points on the board. In this black-and-white world, results are what matter. It’s what got him fired.
Three games aren’t a large sample size, but Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan haven’t moved closer to solving that problem. Scoring points. Against the Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh finished with 16. Against the Arizona Cardinals, just 10, not finding the end zone until late in the game. And versus the New England Patriots, just 18, despite many more chances to put up points.
Comparatively, here’s how Canada-led offenses have scored this season compared to Faulkner and Sullivan.
Steelers’ Offensive Points Per Game (2023)
With Matt Canada: 15.0
With Faulkner/Sullivan: 14.7
A slight step back. And Canada’s points reflect offensive scores only, removing the two defensive touchdowns against the Cleveland Browns and Miles Killebrew’s blocked punt/safety against the Baltimore Ravens.
Of course, coaches aren’t solely responsible for production. Players have a bigger say. And the offense was moving well against the Bengals, even if the players couldn’t finish drives. But much of the same can be applied to Canada and the missed chances this offense had when he was at the helm, especially in games shortly before his firing, like the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and win over the Tennessee Titans, a much closer game than it should’ve been.
None of this excuses them or anyone. It’s just focused on the one number that matters. Points. Despite the change in coordinator, the problem persists. For three straight seasons, the Steelers will finish ranked in the 20s in points per game. They haven’t scored 30 points in well over a year and they haven’t done so in a victory since 2020, the NFL’s longest streak. Even with scoring down across the league, the Steelers can’t sustain averaging 14, 15, 16 points per game.
The NFL average is 21.7 points per game, a low number compared to previous years, but it’s a bar Pittsburgh can’t even come close to reaching. The Steelers have had issues and injury, now on their backup quarterback, but that isn’t stopping the Browns with Joe Flacco, the Bengals with Jake Browning, or even the Jets with Zach Wilson from being able to cross the 30-point barrier. The last Steelers quarterback to do that was Big Ben.
Assuming Mike Tomlin returns in 2024, and right or wrong I’m confident he will be back, choosing his next offensive coordinator will be the most important hire of his career. It’s not going to be Faulkner or Sullivan. It’s not going to be anyone internal. It’s going to be someone from the outside to try and fix this mess. Whether they will remains to be seen. But their mission will be the same. Put points on the board.
