The Pittsburgh Steelers were heading into their Week 12 matchup on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals under unusual circumstances. For the first time since 1941, the Steelers had fired a coach midseason, and were turning to quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan and running backs coach Eddie Faulkner to call plays and coordinate the offense.
The firing of former Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada came after multiple seasons of subpar offensive production which really has put a crutch on the Steelers for quite some time. With the recent struggles of their 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett at quarterback, the Steelers had no other option but to make the move.
Pittsburgh came out firing right out of the gates and Pickett hit tight end Pat Freiermuth for a 24-yard gain in the middle of the field, which was an area Canada had avoided a lot in the passing game. Freiermuth went on to have a career day and finished with nine receptions for 120 yards.
The Steelers managed to run the ball with ease against the Bengals as well and Najee Harris finished with a season high 99 yards rushing to go along with Jaylen Warren's 49 yards. All in all, it was one of the more compete performances from Steelers' running backs that fans had witnessed in awhile.
Although the offense still only managed 16 points which is below their season average (16.5 points per game), fans saw the offense use the entire field and get multiple players involved in the passing game.
The performance in Cincinnati is something the offense can build off of in the future and the players have a lot of confidence in the two new leaders of the offense (Sullivan and Faulkner) moving forward for the rest of the season.
Rookie offensive tackle Broderick Jones spoke to the media on Thursday and gave his thoughts on the new play-caller in the Steel City.
"To me, honestly, I didn't feel no difference of like the tempo. I just feel like we played more as a collective on the offensive side of the ball. Just everybody being on the same page, everybody playing together for each other. So I feel like that's all it was for me. I really don't think it matters who's calling the plays."
Since joining the starting lineup at right tackle, Jones has provided the spark the offensive line needed and has been a significant factor in the increased productivity of the run game. Jones also joked during the interview saying he thinks he could even call the plays.
"I could call the plays, you know? As long as everybody is on the same page, I feel like we will be alright."
The Steelers' Locker Room Is Gelling At The Perfect Time
Over the course of the 2023 season, fans have been hearing about the drama going on with the team within the locker room and the commotion behind closed doors. There have been reports of multiple players getting into altercations with team captains and lots of issues between certain members of the Steelers organization.
With last week's performance, most of that is likely in the rearview mirror and it couldn't come at a better time. These next four games for the Steelers are all coming against teams not only with a losing record, but teams that are likely going to be picking in the top 10 in next year's NFL Draft.
Three of the next four games are going to come against backup quarterback's whose offense surrounding them are nothing that the Steelers need to look at as a significant threat.
The Steelers could very well be headed into their Week 17 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks with an 11-4 record and a possible shot at claiming the AFC North for the first time since 2020.
There were many things to be optimistic about from the performance in Cincinnati that this team can build on heading into the final stretch of the season. Jones' comments of this team playing together and being on the same page could boast a tremendous threat to the rest of the league when it comes time for postseason football.
More must-reads: