In this week’s “3 & Out” column, we look at some of the changes the Steelers’ implemented in their post-Matt Canada offense, how those changes effected Kenny Pickett and at the play of some of their lesser-known defenders in Sunday’s 16-10 win over the Bengals.

No Canada, no problem

With the Steelers firing their now-former beleaguered offensive coordinator last Tuesday, intrigue was high heading into the Cincinnati game as to how his replacements — quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan and running backs coach Eddie Faulkner — would rev up one of the league’s most sluggish attacks. Under Canada, the Steelers ranked near the bottom in total offense and points per game, and had not amassed over 400 yards in a single game — ever. In fact, it had been 58 games in total since Pittsburgh eclipsed the 400-yard mark, dating back to the middle of the 2020 season. The bar for improvement was low, but clearing it, for both practical and psychological purposes, seemed paramount.

Steelers fans didn’t have to wait long to realize the impact of the new brain-trust. On the first play from scrimmage, Sullivan, who was tasked with calling plays, dialed up this beauty:

Pat Freiermuth vs the Bengals:

🔘 9 receptions
🔘 120 yards
🔘 32 yards over expected pic.twitter.com/FMLLBGXkJV

— Zachary Smith (@ZacharySmithPGH) November 26, 2023

For the duration of the Canada era, critics complained about the lack of play-action in Pittsburgh’s offense, the lack of throws to the middle of the field and the lack of involvement of the tight ends in the passing game. In one play, Sullivan checked all three boxes. Whether that was a shot at those critics, at the former coordinator, or as Pickett suggested after the game, simply a call designed to take advantage of the cover-2 scheme Cincinnati was playing, is hard to know. Whatever the case, it immediately jump-started the offense in route to its most prolific day in three seasons. All told, the Steelers ran 68 plays to Cincinnati’s 41, had nearly a fifteen minute advantage in time of possession, and gained 421 total yards. It was a crisp offense that featured a plan the players seemed well-prepared to execute.

If only they’d scored more points. That’s the one thing that kept it from being a completely glorious performance. Pittsburgh squandered three potential scoring drives with self-inflicted wounds in Cincinnati territory — one a fumble, one a sack and one a holding penalty — and will have to be more efficient in that area going forward. But that’s a topic for another day. For now, consider the early reviews of the post-Canada offense as positive as could be expected.

What changes did Sullivan and Faulkner implement that allowed an offense that looked completely lost just a week ago in Cleveland to flourish? Three things stood out.

First, as shown above, they attacked the middle of the field. For a better visual on this, consider Pickett’s spray chart from the Cincinnati game compared to the week prior:

Kenny Pickett passing charts.

Last week vs this week.

BIG difference. #Steelers pic.twitter.com/OP57Zh9YTi

— Josh Rowntree (@JRown32) November 26, 2023

That’s a big difference. The Steelers stretched the field both horizontally and vertically against Cincinnati, something they’d failed to do for most of the season. By attacking the middle early, they forced Cincinnati to abandon their cover-2 scheme. Once the Bengals went to more man-to-man coverage, Pittsburgh won on deep sideline routes, like this beauty in the fourth quarter to George Pickens:

Kenny Pickett drops a DIME to Pickens 🪙

📺: Watch Steelers vs. Bengals on NFL Game Pass on DAZN | (via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/DidGUqbfV8

— DAZN Canada (@DAZN_CA) November 26, 2023

A second factor was their increased use of play-action. Entering the game, Pickett had the second-highest completion percentage in the league on play action throws (77%). Yet the Steelers were 30th in the league in play-action frequency. Why not run more of the stuff Pickett executed well? Sullivan and Faulkner got the message. They dialed up a host of play-action concepts from a variety of looks, including a sharp design to Allen Robinson on the fourth quarter drive that resulted in a field goal to give them a 16-7 lead with under 4:00 remaining and essentially put the game away.

On that play, Robinson aligned initially as a fullback, then shifted to the right wing. At the snap, Pickett faked a handoff to Najee Harris to his right, then booted left. Robinson came under the formation and into the left flat, where Pickett found him for a first down that moved the Steelers into field goal range. It was a great call that effectively disguised Robinson while providing Pickett a clean read and a simple pitch.

Finally, the Steelers put some new twists on the rushing concepts they’d been using most of the year to again run the ball effectively. Their 153 rushing yards marked the fourth week in a row they eclipsed the 150 mark. Rather than hand the ball to Harris and Jaylen Warren on the outside zone play, they tossed it to them, which attacked the perimeter faster. They also used Robinson effectively as an in-line blocker, often motioning him to the point of attack, where he did a great job of sealing the edge and covering up safeties. Pittsburgh’s lone touchdown came on a Duo run where Robinson did just that:

.@ohthatsNajee22 in for 6️⃣

📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/T87FSnfvVk pic.twitter.com/44juSuVSWF

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 26, 2023

While Sullivan and Faulkner didn’t reinvent the wheel on Sunday, they didn’t have to. By simplifying the game for Pickett, using the entire field in the passing game, and finding creative wrinkles for their run game, the offense looked better than it has in ages.

For more on the offensive game plan in Cincinnati, check out my video breakdown on the SCN YouTube channel by clicking HERE.

Pickett’s Day

Pickett was the biggest beneficiary of the change at coordinator. He went 24-33 for 278 yards and did not turn the football over for a sixth straight game. Beyond the stats, Pickett looked calm, sure of his reads and confident in his execution of the game plan. This represented a 180 degree turn from the previous week, where he seemed confused, miscommunicated several times with his receivers and was skittish in the pocket. At the risk of jumping the gun, the early returns suggest moving on from Canada may have been the life boat Pickett needed to save his sinking ship of a season.

I mentioned above how play action concepts and use of the full field were beneficial to Pickett. So, too, it seemed, was the preparation and in-game coaching he received from Sullivan. Every time the offense went to the sideline after a series, Pickett could be seen gathering with Sullivan to seemingly assess the situation. Their back-and-forth stood in stark contrast to Pickett’s body language when he interacted similarly with Canada. I’m no body language expert, but Pickett certainly seemed more engaged with Sullivan. Their interaction seemed more like a collaboration, whereas with Canada it looked like Pickett was being told what to do. That’s an assumption on my part. But the difference in Pickett’s demeanor spoke volumes.

Reclaiming Pickett’s confidence will be huge as the Steelers navigate the final six games of the season. They are in the thick of the playoff hunt, and they need Pickett playing at his best to get there. If he can be the quarterback he was on Sunday, rather than the shell of himself from previous weeks, I like their odds.

The No-Name Defense

No one can say the Steelers lack stars on defense. T.J. Watt is the reigning defensive player of the year, Minkah Fitzpatrick in an All-Pro and Cam Heyward has been one of the best in the league at his position for a decade. But with injuries gutting the unit, the Steelers have had to rely on some lesser names to hold down the fort the past couple of weeks. To their credit, those relatively unknown players have more than pulled their weight.

Elandon Roberts is the best known of this bunch, but far from a household name. Roberts had six tackles against Cincinnati, following up on his 15-tackle performance in Cleveland. Roberts has stepped seamlessly into the void created by the injuries to fellow linebackers Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander and is providing the Steelers some of the best play they’ve received at the position in years.

Mykal Walker wasn’t even on the roster a month ago, but the player the Steelers snagged off of Chicago’s practice squad had five tackles against the Bengals and provided solid coverage against running back Joe Mixon, who has hurt the Steelers in the past as a receiver. Walker and Roberts have stabilized a position group that looked gutted after Holcomb and Alexander went down, helping the defense hold Cleveland and Cincinnati to 23 total points the past two weeks.

Another relative unknown who has stepped up in the wake of injuries at his position is safety Trenton Thompson. With Fitzpatrick and Keanu Neal both out, Thompson registered five tackles and had a huge interception in plus territory that thwarted a Cincinnati drive. Fellow unknown Tariq Carpenter provided some decent play at safety as well in limited snaps, giving the Steelers solid production from two players most fans wouldn’t recognize if they knocked on their front door.

All in all, the next-man-up mentality has proven to be more than a slogan for a Pittsburgh defense that has had to adjust on the fly the past few weeks. The Steelers certainly would like to see their regulars back in the lineup, but for now, the no-names who have taken their place are faring quite well.

And Out…

It’s too early to speculate, and a lot can change over the next six weeks. But just for fun… if the playoffs started today, the Steelers would be the top wild card and the #5 seed overall. This would earn them an intriguing trip to Miami to play the high-flying Dolphins, who have rolled it up against weaker teams this season but have struggled against teams with winning records. The Dolphins are 8-3 overall, having gone 7-0 against teams with losing records and just 1-3 against teams above .500. That one win was a 70-20 drubbing in week three of a then 0-3 Broncos squad in disarray. Denver has since rallied and stands at 6-5, so you can’t really say they were a winning team when Miami beat them. Miami has a soft schedule these next three weeks, playing Washington, Tennessee and the Jets. But they close the season against Dallas, Baltimore and Buffalo, which should provide a window into just how good they are.