The Pittsburgh Steelers have been a team under fire by fans as of late for their resistance to fire offensive coordinator, Matt Canada. The Steelers hired Canada in 2021, where he had his most successful season as the team’s play-caller. Since then, fans have grown to despise Canada for abysmal play-calling and lack of success on the offensive side of the ball.
Pittsburgh Steelers Offensive Woes
The Pittsburgh Steelers have ranked near the bottom of the NFL in almost every category with Matt Canada as offensive coordinator, finishing 23rd in 2021 and 2022 in yards and currently rank 28th this season. The Steelers added some weapons this offseason and after a promising preseason, fans were excited to see if this was the year the offense would take that next step forward.
Following some less-than-impressive performances from the Pittsburgh Steelers offense, ‘Fire Canada’ chants began to break out in arenas in different sports from all around the country. Fans were furious at the team’s abysmal offensive output and on November 21st, the team announced that Matt Canada had been relieved from his duties.
The Pittsburgh Steelers currently rank last in the entire NFL in passing yards and 31st in total touchdowns. The Steelers are fresh off of a 13-10 loss versus the Cleveland Browns that saw them gain just 249 total yards on offense. Quarterback Kenny Pickett managed 106 passing yards and George Pickens led the team in receiving with 38 yards. Jaylen Warren was the lone bright spot for the Steelers offense, rushing for 129 yards and a touchdown on just nine carries.
Life After Matt Canada
Looking ahead to Pittsburgh’s Week 12 matchup versus Cincinnati, the Steelers will look to prove they made the right decision, as running backs coach Eddie Faulkner will take the reigns as the offensive signal-caller. Faulkner was quoted as saying he felt the offense as a whole “let down” Matt Canada following his firing. Kenny Pickett stated he learned of the decision through social media and said he “hated” seeing Canada go.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have solid pieces in place offensively but a severe lack of communication between routes seems to be hindering the offense. Pickett threw several errant passes and had a crucial missed read on a Diontae Johnson route that could’ve seen Johnson walk into the endzone versus the Browns. Eddie Faulkner will look to clean up any miscommunications as quickly as possible before Pittsburgh travels to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals.
Could this be the week we see the Pittsburgh Steelers offense take the next step and prove they can make some big plays? Or will Pittsburgh’s search for another offensive coordinator move on as the playoffs grow closer?