The Pittsburgh Steelers defense managed to find a way on Monday Night Football to beat the Cleveland Browns 26-22. It was not a perfect performance by the unit. The defense surrendered 200 yards rushing to the Browns, led by Jerome Ford, who came on in relief after a horrific injury to Nick Chubb. The Steelers defense forced four turnovers, recorded six sacks, and TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith scored Pittsburgh's first and last points.
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Steelers' George Pickens scores his first 2023 touchdown on Monday Night Football.
The offense managed a few bright spots, thanks to Jaylen Warren turning several short passes into occasional first downs. George Pickens posted the first 100-yard game of his career, thanks to a huge 71-yard touchdown pass from Kenny Pickett for the offense’s only touchdown of the night. The offense was anemic in the second half and needed the defense to bail them out.
The 35th episode of Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger debuted Tuesday night with Spencer Te’o and the former Steelers quarterback. The duo filmed the podcast during the second half of the Monday Night Football game, and Ben Roethlisberger made what turned out to be a very astute observation.
“You know you are not going to play teams every week that turn the ball over four times,” Roethlisberger said. “One of these times, they are going to make Kenny keep one. I mean, we turned it over twice. We can’t do that.”
Roethlisberger was observing what the defense looked like on the first and 10 play that gave the Steelers offense a chance to close out the game. With just over four minutes remaining, the Steelers offense had a chance to redeem a very uneven performance by picking up one or two first downs to help close the game.
“Kenny’s probably saying, ‘Let me keep it,’” Roethlisberger observed after the first down handoff to Najee Harris. “If you don’t know, he handed it off to Naj, and the defense is selling out on the running back. Kenny could have probably kept it and ran. But this is a really good defense.”
The two-time Super Bowl champion pointed out on first down that the element of a surprise quarterback run option could be effective. He was unsure it would work on the Browns defense and seemed to be weighing the option like he was still in the huddle instead of Pickett.
-544x306.jpg "Steelers Kenny Pickett")
Matt Freed / Associated Press
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett gets rid of the ball as he falls down during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns on Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers faced a third and one after a strong run on second down by Warren. The Steelers quarterback was praising the few positive signs for the offense when he stopped suddenly. Roethlisberger’s reaction is a microcosm of how every Steelers fan felt after the play.
“I think there is some feel-good coming out of this thing. Especially if you hold on and get this win,” Roethlisberger said before the play. “Oh, wait a second. I’m so confused by that play.”
Roethlisberger folded his arms on his head in what appeared to be a combination of frustration and disgust with the play call. The Steelers' offseason was spent assembling a power running team. When push came to shove, and they needed one yard to close out the game potentially, the Steelers called for an RPO that the Browns sniffed out and snuffed for a three-yard loss.
“I assume they were trying to trick ‘em,” Roethlisberger openly questioned. “They literally just put a stat up that said Kenny Pickett on third and fourth, and one is 11 for 11. How did they know he was going to run the ball? I know I said one of these times, Kenny is going to keep it. That wasn’t the way I was thinking about keeping it though.”
The Steelers all-time leader has been very careful with his criticism of Canada in the past. He has taken shots through his patented passive-aggressive style of calling out things he disagrees with, but this was his most direct criticism of the offensive coordinator yet. The cutesy play-calling of Canada should have flipped him out of the frying pan and into the fire after the, at best, curious call.
Matt Freed/Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and offensive coordinator Matt Canada during the 2021 season.
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The Pittsburgh offense has no identity under Canada, and Roethlisberger knows it. In his final season, the Steelers made the playoffs when Roethlisberger led seven come-from-behind victories. Pickett's best moments as a pro have been off-script. Canada's play designs are flawed, and he pairs that with ill-timed trickery that Mike Tomlin should be overruling before it can be run.
Pickett and Canada are not a good match. Pickett does not seem to have the where-with-all to question coaching openly and probably was overly generous with praise for Canada in exit interviews that may have colored the Steelers' decision to keep him. Canada is an arrogant coach who has burned more bridges than General William T. Sherman on his infamous March to The Sea. It is the blind leading the unconcerned at this point.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Should the Steelers consider letting the internet call the plays, or maybe the hot dog vendor at this point? Let me know what you think. Please comment below or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq.
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