The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a big road divisional game, a 16-10 win over Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12, and they now turn their attention to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 13 at the friendly confines of Acrisure Stadium.

The firing of Matt Canada before the game certainly raised eyebrows and put an emphasis on the Steelers offense vs. the Bengals. The offense might have only put up 16 points, but they were able to move the ball better than they have all season. In fact, their 400+ yards of total offense was the most since the 2020 season.

As Mike Tomlin addressed the media Tuesday, he was peppered with questions about Kenny Pickett and this proverbial new-look offense. When asked about Pickett attacking downfield more, Tomlin simply said they “saw some things which were encouraging”. When asked what they might be able to build on, he said he is hoping for “more of the same”.

One of the biggest changes for the offense with a new coordinator and play caller was their ability to “work to keep the defense off balance, stay a step ahead”. One way they did that was to utilize their 13 personnel, 1 back and 3 tight ends, but the reasoning behind it wasn’t mystical. Instead, Tomlin said it was just because he “had them [tight ends] available to us.” This clearly points to the return to the lineup of Pat Freiermuth and the team’s ability to use him, Darnell Washington and Conner Heyward in unique ways.

As for thee new offensive coordinator (OC), Eddie Faulkner, and play caller Mike Sullivan, Tomlin said the communication between OC and quarterback “was good, expecting it to improve and be better with another week under their belt.”

It was at this point where Tomlin started to seriously downplay the success of the offense, and when he was asked if the new OC situation was a big reason for the offensive success, especially on 3rd downs he took little time shooting down the narrative of a one week fix.

“I’m not ready to paint with a broad brush at this juncture.” Tomlin said. “We did what we needed to do last week, the more we proceed the more these type of things will be evident.”

One big question surrounding the upcoming game is who might, or might not, be available for the black-and-gold?

Tomlin said both Minkah Fitzpatrick (hamstring) and Montravius Adams (ankle) will have their “light on” this week. While Adams practiced in a limited basis last week, Tomlin said both will be participants in some way tomorrow, and that he is “cautiously optimistic” about their availability Sunday.

Calvin Austin III suffered an ankle injury in-game in Ohio, but Tomlin said the injury looks significantly better at this juncture. Austin might be limited early in the week, but they are hopeful he’ll be available to them this weekend.

Lastly, Kenny Pickett was labeled as having “ankle discomfort” following the Week 12 win, and Tomlin said the discomfort might limit him in the early portions of the week.

Be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the Cardinals this Sunday.