In case you missed it, the Pittsburgh Steelers picked up a huge win on Sunday Night Football over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3. It moved the AFC North team to above .500 for the first time in 2023, and there were a lot of positives to take from the contest. Against the lowly Raiders defense, the Steelers offense had some success. They still put up just 23 points in total, but Kenny Pickett responded with an encouraging performance.
AP
Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett showed improvements in Week 3, which included a deep touchdown to young wideout Calvin Austin III.
On the night, the offense finished with a season-high 333 total yards, their most complete performance to this point. Steelers Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada deserved his flowers as well, as for the most part, he called a solid game from the booth. Just ahead of the Week 3 contest, a rumor began to swirl that the Steelers were handing Canada a “promotion.”
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that Canada’s change would include being on the field for games and having a more direct relationship with Pickett. Essentially, it meant he would be the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. On Sunday, the NBC telecast showed Canada in the booth multiple times. Quite clearly, that earlier report didn’t seem to be true. Mark Kaboly of The Athletic has some sources within the organization that have since denied the "silly" report.
“Multiple Steelers sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly, denied the report to The Athletic. The sources rejected the idea that anything has changed or will change concerning Canada’s work with Pickett on a daily basis. 'That’s just silly,' one source said."
It never made much sense as to why the Steelers would have "promoted" Canada just two weeks into the season. While they have stayed loyal to him, as evidenced by holding onto him for a third season, it was clear that the offense underperformed in the first two weeks. Additionally, Mike Sullivan remains the team's quarterbacks coach. That made the report that Canada was taking on two roles even more confusing.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter / X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan has spent three seasons in his position and could be a possible candidate to replace Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada.
Fans have been critics of Canada for three seasons now. To be fair, he hasn’t done himself many favors in his tenure in Pittsburgh this far. Upon Schultz’s report ahead of the primetime game, many fans obviously showed their displeasure with the news. It still seems likely that the team moves on from him sooner rather than later, but it was a promising result in Week 3.
Will Steelers OC Canada Last The Whole 2023 Regular Season?
Perhaps most importantly on Sunday night, the Steelers were able to break a few decent runs. The running backs still combined for under four yards per carry, which still causes some room for concern. The offense still had some more balance than they did in the first two weeks, as Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren combined for 94 rushing yards. If they can continue to have that kind of balance, combined with Canada making better play calls, the offense could at least be competent moving forward.
What were your initial thoughts on this report from Schultz? Do you think there was any merit to this report on Canada? How do you think Canada and Pickett did in the Week 3 primetime matchup? What are your expectations on this offense moving forward? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, yinz!
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