The Pittsburgh Steelers left Week 12 with a crucial win against the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite the score looking the same as it did in the Matt Canada era, the Steelers had their best statistical performance offensively of the year. Almost every negative stat or narrative was instantly killed with Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan running the show. Despite all that, Mike Tomlin did not seem too happy about the offense, and he showed that lack of enthusiasm in his post-game press conference.
Matt Freed / Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin finally accepted the reality that Matt Canada was not an NFL-level coordinator after the struggles continued in 2023
Tomlin was asked about what he saw from Kenny Pickett in their win. He did not give a straight answer at all, as he deflected off of him and said that he was happy that they got the win.
"You know, we did what we needed to do to win. Guys like myself and Kenny [Pickett], we're judged based on winning and losing, and we don't run from that; we run to that, so he and I are winners today."
Coach Tomlin addresses the media following our win over the Bengals. pic.twitter.com/k3CmnT8Xtu
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 26, 2023
It does not stop there, however. Later on in his press conference, he was asked twice about his views of the offensive output, and he kept deflecting, refusing to give any credit or any blame whatsoever.
"I'm not trying to paint with a broad brush and act like 'Eureka!' We did what we needed to do to win the day, and we'll keep pushing... I'm happy that we won."
From that statement, it seems like Tomlin is afraid of shining a negative light on Canada. He didn't want to say anything that would imply that Canada was an issue and replacing him with Faulkner and Sullivan was that much of an impact, even though the stats and game film show how much Canada was holding this offense down.
Gene J. Puskar / Associated Press
Pittsburgh Steelers former offensive coordinator Matt Canada was unable to develop second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett
When Tomlin said, "I'm happy that we won," it was in response to him being asked if he was pleased about the offense. He refused to give any sort of credit or praise to an offensive unit that took a big leap forward, and this is coming right after he refused to blame the offense for an abysmal showing the previous week. Tomlin is clearly afraid of admitting verbally that Canada was the biggest issue on the offense, yet the firing already says that.
Steelers' Pickett Gives Credit Where Credit Is Due
Meanwhile, Pickett was willing to praise Faulkner and Sullivan for their roles in the improvements on offense during his post-game press conference. While Pickett never said that Canada was a major problem, he still gave credit to the men that helped get the Steelers out of one of the worst offensive stretches in the Super Bowl era.
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Kenny Pickett launches a pass after escaping a sack against the Cincinnati Bengals
Despite Tomlin's unwillingness to say it, this game was a massive step forward for the Steelers' offense. At very least, it is a sigh of relief, knowing that Canada's failures would no longer be tolerated, and that he can stop being a cancer that breaks the locker room apart. Deep down, he has to know that letting him go was the right decision, even if he's too scared to admit it to the public.
What do you think about Tomlin's lack of enthusiasm, as well as the offensive output for the Steelers? Let us know in the comments.
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