The Steelers’ offense, to be kind, has been lackluster in 2022.
Pittsburgh is currently 28th in yards and 30th in points. The club has scored just six offensive touchdowns so far this season, only two of which have been passing. And no receiver has caught a TD, just running back Najee Harris and tight end Pat Freiermuth.
The Bills plastered the Steelers 38-3 last week and Pittsburgh hosts Tampa Bay on Sunday, so it’s not like the unit will get much of a break when it comes to facing a strong defense. On Thursday, offensive coordinator Matt Canada said it’s incumbent on everyone to raise their performance.
“We all have to do our jobs a little bit better,” Canada said in his press conference. “I think you can look at those plays, and we can all say, “What could we have done a little bit better here or there?” As always, I’m not going to get into all those things. We just have to be a little bit better.
“It’s a bottom-line business. We didn’t score when we got down [in the red zone], so moving it up and down the field really doesn’t do anything for you. That’s not what we’re trying to do; that’s not enough. So, we have to score touchdowns. The tweaks are that we’ve got to finish the drives, and it’s a multitude of things, to answer your question.”
Canada added that the Steelers have to do some simplifying of their offense while also expanding upon the things they do well.
“We can sit here and say, “What is it? What is it?” Well, it’s obviously something we’ve all got to find. All of us,” Canada said. “We’re not coaching well enough, we’re not playing well enough, we’re not getting the results that we want. So, we have to look at what that is. Football is a fundamental game; it always has been. Until we get where we need to be, we’ve got to get those things found and play better fundamental football and make those plays. Then, obviously, the plays off of the play start to happen.
“So, a little bit of both. We’ve got to put our guys in position to make plays. When and if we’re not doing that, we’ll find different plays to run those things. Combination of both, but ultimately, we’ve got to play better and coach better.”
Pittsburgh has three tough opponents to show if any improvements have been made in Tampa Bay, Miami, and Philadelphia before a Week Nine bye.
