Matt Canada Gives Revealing Statement on Steelers Offense

The Steelers offense is averaging just 12.5 points per game through four games. It’s a unit with no direction and can not find its footing, even after a positive performance against the Las Vegas Raiders a week ago. Yet, Pittsburgh still clawed their way to only six points against the Texans. They got down early, and while the run game started to come alive in the second half, they never turned it into anything.

On the CBS broadcast, announcers Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta revealed that Canada told them the Steelers’ offense is not meant to play from behind with a run-first approach that prioritizes safety in the run game over explosive plays, which checks out. Pittsburgh’s offense is static and rigid, which gets them into tough spots. But the statement from Canada is revealing to hear.

“I think Matt Canada told us when we sat with him yesterday at their hotel, they’re not quite built to come back from big leads,” Dedes said. “So the way they start games is so critical.”

Canada is not putting its players in positions to succeed. It’s as simple as that. In the run game, his condensed sets invite players into the box, which they jet into gaps. He fails to build off his previous plays and catch defenses off guard. The scheme lacks a dynamic passing game, with little concepts in the actual playbook.

A lot of players are playing below the line right now. Isaac Seumalo did not forget how to play football. Pickett’s stunning regression lands at his feet in some regards, but Canada has done little to help him. When teams scout the Steelers, they fail to anticipate the responses from opponents and get ahead of the curve. It’s like self-scouting of their tendencies does not exist. The issues in the run game are about 75 percent scheme-related.

The offense has to be able to claw back into games. In this modern league, that is a must. Even if the offense is not high-octane, a double-digit deficit should not feel insurmountable, but it often does with the Steelers.