Phil Simms, the former quarterback and long-time NFL analyst, says he sees the obvious. In his opinion, the Steelers offense isn’t very good and he believes a change is coming if all doesn’t go well, Sunday, against the Ravens.
Simms discussed the flailing Pittsburgh offense Friday on his Sirius/XM radio show, Simms and the Mad Dog. He was blunt with his assessment. None of it reflects well on Steelers beleaguered offensive coordinator Matt Canada.
“It sounds like something is going to happen if it doesn’t go well against the Baltimore Ravens,” Simms predicted. “I watch them. And you know what? I come to the conclusion, and it’s easy for me. The offensive line is not very good, and I’m being kind. And the skill group, it’s just OK. To me, there’s nothing special about it.”
The rest of the offense didn’t escape.
“When you watch them, I’ll take last weekend’s game against the Houston Texans,” Simms said. “Did they separate from the defenders? Did they get wide open? Could they block? I mean, the answer to everything is no. Kenny Pickett? He’s not playing well, but I don’t see just tons of opportunities to make plays.”
Will Steelers QB Kenny Pickett be limited because of knee?
To make matters worse, Pickett’s left knee could still be tender from the injury he suffered in the 30-6 road loss to the Texans. The play basically summed up the offensive performance. On a fourth-and-one, the Steelers eschewed power and ran a pass play out of the shot gun. Pickett rolled into the sack and injured his knee. The second-year quarterback didn’t miss a practice this week. But he was limited, Wednesday.
The Steelers didn’t score a touchdown last Sunday for only the second time in 69 games. But the overall showing isn’t an aberration. Pittsburgh opened the season with a 30-7 loss to the 49ers. And in a 26-22 win over the Browns, the defense outscored the offense, thanks to touchdowns from Alex Highsmith (fumble return) and T.J. Watt (interception return). And in that game at Acrisure Stadium, some fans started chanting “Fire Matt Canada.”
Mike Tomlin, after Sunday’s game in Houston, promised that “we’ve got to make some changes.”
“That was an ugly product we put out there today,” Tomlin said. “We’re not going to do the same things and hope for a different outcome. We’ll put those changes in place in our preparation this week.”
Yet by Tuesday, Tomlin wasn’t nearly as emphastic about changes. He said the Steelers practices would become more physical. By game five, it’s unclear how much that could change the product on the field.
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