The Pittsburgh Steelers are trying something a little unconventional at the offensive coordinator position after the firing of Matt Canada. Former running backs coach, Eddie Faulkner has taken on Canada's old title and is responsible for getting the game plan together each week. At the same time, quarterback coach, Mike Sullivan has added play-calling to his duties. The first week of the experiment played out well as Pittsburgh complied 421 yards in the 16-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals to break their long-standing regular season streak of not reaching the 400-yard mark dating back to September of 2020.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett meets with quarterback coach Mike Sullivan on the field during a regular season game against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2023.
Faulkner met with the media on Thursday for his now regular weekly press conference as the leader of the offense and had tons of praise for how Sullivan handled things against the Bengals on Sunday afternoon. He highlighted that the communication with his partner in crime running the unit was a big part of why the Steelers were able to have success.
"It was fantastic, it couldn't have been any better," he said via video posted by DK Pittsburgh Sports. "If I was over there telling Sully, 'Hey, let's do this,' he was right on board with it. It wasn't any kind of pushback with anything. It was awesome. And Sully called a great game, man. Let's talk about that. Sully was awesome in that game and I'm just really excited about the trajectory of what's going on right now."
That's certainly refreshing to hear after it was reported that Canada refused to involve his assistants in game planning. When Head Coach Mike Tomlin announced the firing of Canada, he said he was looking for more fluidity in the offense. While Faulkner has heard about improvements in the speed of getting plays called from some of the players, he isn't ready to commit to saying they've achieved what they want in that area.
"I don't know. I've heard the guys -- I've heard some of the comments saying the plays are coming in quicker," he said. "I feel like he [Sullivan] just called a good game, know what I mean? So I give him credit for that in that game, for sure."
Whether it's getting plays in faster or just the overall improvement in communication, the Steelers offense appears to be trending in a positive direction. It's also helping out the defense, who didn't have to see as much of the field with the offense possessing the ball for 37:17 against the Bengals.
Steelers Taking A Step, But Still Want More From The Offense
The very first play of the game against the Bengals represented a much-needed change to the offense. Kenny Pickett dropped back and hit tight end Pat Freiermuth deep down the middle for a 24-yard gain. There have been calls for Pittsburgh to use the tight end more since the start of the season, and to have the first play by an explosive pass to one of them was a breath of fresh air.
Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth is sandwiched by two Cincinnati Bengals defenders after making a catch during their Week 12 matchup in 2023.
Even though there were plenty of things to show that the arrow is pointing up for the unit post-Canada, Faulkner, and players like Pickett, know there's still plenty of room to improve. For both Pickett and his new coordinator, getting in the end zone more is a key.
"We've got to score points," Faulkner said about the next step for the offense.
The Steelers have the Arizona Cardinals coming to town on Sunday after they had the doors blown off them by the Los Angeles Rams last Sunday. The Cardinals have surrendered 20 points or more in all but one game this season and have given up 300-plus yards in 9 of 12 games. The Cardinals also shouldn't be taken lightly as the lone game they kept an opponent under 20 points was against the Dallas Cowboys who are one of the top teams in the NFC.
Getting to 400 yards in the first game of the Faulkner-Sullivan partnership was a huge benchmark to hit for sure. Now, the next step is turning more of those drives ending in field goals into the end zone.
How did you feel about Sullivan's play-calling? Do you think the offense can produce more points in the upcoming weeks? Comment below!
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