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As we continue to celebrate the Cleveland Browns defense this Sunday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Steelers offense deserves attention but for opposite reasons.
The Browns defense stymied the Cincinnati Bengals and QB Joe Burrow in Week 1 on their way to a huge victory. With a 24-3 win, Cleveland felt good but the Steelers offense led to an even bigger loss in the AFC North, 30-7.
During Pittsburgh’s Week 1 loss, QB Kenny Pickett completed 31 of 46 passes for 232 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. RB Najee Harris was limited to just six carries for 31 yards.
The 239 yards of offense was paltry compared to the San Francisco 49ers 391. The inability to put up a lot of yards is not a new thing for Steelers OC Matt Canada:
The Pittsburgh Steelers are the only NFL team that hasn’t recorded a 400-yard game on offense since the start of the 2021 season. Every other team has done it at least 3 times. Nine teams have done it 10-plus times.
— Daniel Valente (@StatsGuyDaniel) September 11, 2023
Matt Canada became the OC in 2021.
Former Pittsburgh receiver Antonio Brown took notice:
If Steelers don’t score over 20 points Today Matt Goes back to Canada…………. OC AB
— AB (@AB84) September 17, 2023
While Brown hasn’t shown much stability since leaving the Steelers organization, it might not get much worse than what Canada has put on the field.
Not only is the team not putting up good yardage but they struggled greatly to protect Pickett in Week 1:
PFF had the Steelers allowing 22 pressures, tied with the Giants for the most of any team. The Browns recorded 13 pressures in their Week 1 win. https://t.co/DG4F2zn65A
— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) September 12, 2023
With Cleveland likely without WR Amari Cooper, Monday Night Football could become a defensive struggle even though Pittsburgh will be without DL Cam Heyward. With the way DE Myles Garrett and company played and the struggles for Canada’s group, that could favor the Browns.
Are you surprised that the Steelers offense hasn’t been productive over the last two years? How bad they were last week? How does this impact your thoughts on MNF? Share in the comment section below
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