Last Sunday against the Bengals, the Steelers posted just 16 points. Another low-scoring victory was befitting of an offense that’s been putrid for much of the last three seasons — at least, for anyone casually perusing scores scrolling across the screen.

In reality, though, last week’s contest in Cincinnati was a tide-turning moment for Pittsburgh. For the first time since Week 2, 2020, the Steelers exceeded the 400-yard mark threshold. On top of that, the black and gold ranked ninth in the NFL in offensive EPA/play. And ironically (or maybe not) enough, that came in the first game following the firing of embattled OC Matt Canada.

Yes, the Steelers still mustered just one touchdown as opposed to three field goals, but Mike Tomlin saw his team’s offense in rhythm and generating big plays for much of the day. Here were several keys to why Pittsburgh’s O finally removed the shackles.

Kenny Pickett’s decisiveness

Altogether, Pickett very well may have played the best game of his career in Paycor Stadium. Regarding more surface-level stats, his 72.3% completion percentage was tied for the second-best mark of his career, while his 278 passing yards were also the second-most he’s tallied. Further, Pickett generated a 91.8 PFF passing grade, tops in his two-year career, and his +9.2% CPOE was second among NFL QBs in Week 12.

What really seemed to unlock Pickett was an emphasis on getting the ball out of his hands earlier than usual, a very shrewd strategy in light of the complex pressure looks offered by Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. Pickett had an average time to throw of only 2.48 seconds, which was his second-quickest turnaround of the year. While some could argue that throwing that fast can eliminate downfield shots, it actually allowed Pickett to thrive by making quick decisions — effectively masking some of his pocket discomfort.

It’s not a coincidence that when Pickett can hit Diontae Johnson and George Pickens in stride deep down the field, the Steelers’ offense tends to produce at a better clip. That happened twice on Sunday courtesy of two incredible throws.

On the first to Johnson, Pickett diagnoses the Bengals’ Cover 1 look, meaning that Johnson has one-on-one coverage with no safety help. Despite Cincy presenting seven potential blitzers, Pickett stays calm and heaves a perfect throw to Johnson for a pickup of 39 yards. What really fueled this play was Pickett’s processing and letting it rip to his receiver.

Later on, the second-year gunslinger followed that throw up with probably the most impressive of his young career. With Pittsburgh in empty and the Bengals blitzing Logan Wilson, Pickett understands that Pickens, in the slot, has single man coverage against the smaller Mike Hilton. From there, he holds the center field safety just enough before uncorking a gorgeous throw to Pickens for 43 yards. This was another instance of Pickett not trying to overcomplicate things.

Moreover, Pickett was particularly sharp on third downs. Take a look at these three reads and throws outside the numbers to move the chains.

Here, the Steelers deploy a bunch involving Johnson, Pickens and Calvin Austin III, with Austin having the most reduced split. With the Bengals’ Jalen Davis playing off and with inside leverage, Austin beats him to the spot on an out route, and Pickett puts it right on his receiver for a first down.

Next, on this third down, the Steelers stack Pickens and Pat Freiermuth (more on him in a bit). Pickens occupies two DBs on a clearout, leaving Freiermuth open on an out route. Despite Cincy rushing five, Pickett stays poised and nails his tight end, throwing it precisely on the money despite a good close from Dax Hill.

Another third down, and another appearance of tremendous pressure from Anarumo, with the Bengals demonstrating Cover 0. Seven of the eight perceived rushers end up coming home, and Pickett understands the need to throw with alacrity. Once Johnson clears D.J. Reader, Pickett makes a quick decision on the shallow cross, and Johnson does the rest. Admittedly, this throw was a bit low, but it still demonstrates Pickett’s success on third down and against pressure.

Najee Harris’ angry yet agile running

Like his starting quarterback, Harris very well may have had the best game of his 2023 season in the Queen City. Harris’ 2.18 rushing yards over expected per carry ranked fourth among all rushers last week, and he tallied three rushes of 10 or more yards. On the day, Harris hit the hole when it opened, getting north/south and then demonstrating his blend of physicality and even elusiveness.

This 20-yard scamper was pretty much all No. 22. After being met at around the 13-yard line, Harris just never stops churning his legs; at 242 pounds, it’s a much easier proposition to try to bring him down than it is to actually do it. The Bengals found that out in one fell swoop, as Harris stayed upright and rumbled with the help of some friends.

Further, on this outside zone, Harris sees the lane and turns on the jets, outrunning Germaine Pratt and finishing down the sideline for 22 yards. This play included some terrific blocking from Isaac Seumalo and Darnell Washington, but Harris’ second gear catalyzed it.

When Harris gets going and finds a zone, it’s really masterful to watch. This 13-yard gallop was just that, with the Alabama product momentarily hesitating and following James Daniels through the B gap before accelerating downfield — and tossing down Chidobe Awuzie. This run arguably should have lost yardage based on Logan Wilson and Josh Tupou having good positioning, but Harris dictated the play.

As a unit, the Steelers finally showcased some growth in their tosses in Cincinnati, too. This was a strong instance of that from Harris, who followed Connor Heyward and Freiermuth before lowering his shoulder and fight for about three extra yards after being contacted. I’d guess this finish was something that impressed new offensive coordinator and running backs coach Eddie Faulker.

The game’s lone touchdown came courtesy of No. 22, too. Using a windback handoff, Harris bounces away from Hill and has space on the outside via a great block from Washington. If Harris had hit the hole up the A gap, DT Zach Carter may have been able to wrestle him down. However, when Harris gets even a little bit of room in the open field, he’s a formidable player to tackle.

Tight end deployment

Entering Sunday, Steelers tight ends had posted this collective statline in 10 games: 30 catches, 238 yards and two touchdowns. Losing Freiermuth for five of those contests definitely didn’t help, but the collective unit was vastly underutilized. That changed in a marked way against the Bengals.

In Cincinnati, Freiermuth posted nine catches for 120 yards, both of which were career bests. In addition, Heyward and Washington combined to add on an additional three catches for 21 yards. Cumulatively, that’s 12 catches for 141 yards in one game for Pittsburgh’s tight end trio.

Faulkner’s first game as the new OC seemed to integrate a heightened emphasis on utilizing the talent in that room, and Pickett listened closely. In fact, his first play of the game was a seam shot to Freiermuth off of play action for a pickup of 24 yards. Putting Allen Robinson in motion gave the tell that the Bengals were in zone; after the snap, Freiermuth worked past Pratt up the seam, and Pickett fed him for a dart. This play encompasses three elements that were sorely lacking in the past: play action, attacking the middle of the field and leveraging Freiermuth.

No. 88 had another similar seam reception, but his main MO was being used on effective sit routes, fueled by his sound spacial understanding in zone. Pickett went back to that well consistently, and it paid dividends, including on this strong catch-and-run from Freiermuth.

Washington got in on the party with a similar curl, too. The fact that it took almost four players in orange to bring him down after he got 10 yards is pretty revealing.

Final Thoughts

It certainly felt like the Steelers began to exorcise some major demons in Cincinnati by finally playing at a high offensive clip for four quarters. Pickett was accurate to pretty much every region on the field; Harris was explosive yet physical; and Johnson, Pickens and Freiermuth were fed appropriately.

Even then, there are unquestionably areas to improve. On the afternoon, Pittsburgh had eight drives get across the 50, and scored just one touchdown while punting on three of them. A major reason why were self-inflicted wounds, notably Jaylen Warren’s red zone fumble and offensive penalties.

Going forward, Faulkner needs to make sure Sunday wasn’t a flash in the pan — and that this version of a balanced Steelers O converting almost half of its third downs is sustainable. If so, it’s hard not to be very bullish about both Pickett starting to blossom, as well as Pittsburgh being a much tougher out in the playoffs.