Matt Canada Tabbed as One of NFL’s Worst Play Callers

Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada was tabbed as one of the NFL’s worst offensive coordinators through six weeks in the NFL. In a study by Steven Patton, Canada comes in as the 28th-ranked offensive coordinator in the NFL, which is hardly shocking given Pittsburgh’s success offensively.

Kellen Moore continues to widen the gap between him and McCarthy six weeks in despite the loss last night.

It's interesting to note that Monken (18), McCarthy (24) and O'Brien (30) are several years removed from calling plays in the NFL and haven't quite hit their stride. pic.twitter.com/OqV4jWopzk

— Steven Patton (@PattonAnalytics) October 17, 2023

Canada’s offense has averaged a cumulative -0.31 EPA/Play for the season. While that metric isn’t perfect, it does showcase that Canada has struggled to get his offense going throughout the season. The team has by far the most three-and-outs by percentage in the league, topping out at 47 percent. Pittsburgh’s not just getting mashed by defenses, but they can not sustain drives. It is a concerning trend for Matt Canada, and the team needs to find something they can latch onto. They talked about minor tweaks they made during the bye week, which required to produce fruitful effects on the offense.

Canada is here to stay for the rest of the season. Over the weekend, the Athletic reported that the Steelers have no plans to fire Canada or hand play-calling duties over to another coach. If it worsens, that might happen, but the team does not have some up-and-coming playcaller to turn to. Quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan would likely get the nod.

“The Pittsburgh Steelers have no plans to fire offensive coordinator Matt Canada or turn the play calling over to another coach on the staff, a person familiar with the situation shared this week,” Dianna Russini said. “I was told if a move was going to be made, it would have happened already. Though fans have criticized Canada and his play calling, Steelers players and coach Mike Tomlin have continued to show him support. I was told the team held a meeting this week to come together and search for some answers as they approach the bye week.”

Specifically, seven NFL offensive coordinators have been fired in the middle of the season over the last six years. The earliest was in 2017, when the Cincinnati Bengals canned Ken Zampese after just two games. The latest was in 2018 when the Minnesota Vikings let John DeFilippo go after a Week 14 loss.