The Pittsburgh Steelers have spent most of the 2023 season living on the edge by holding off producing offensively until the final quarter of the game. While there were other factors, the main source of this ineptitude was now-former Offensive Coordinator, Matt Canada. After the demoralizing Week 11 loss to a divisional rival in the Cleveland Browns, the Steelers made a change by firing Canada. With an offense in transition, the burden was on Pittsburgh's highly-paid defense to come through, and the young Trenton Thompson answered that call.
Steelers' TJ Watt Credits Trenton Thompson
Pittsburgh's elite edge rusher, TJ Watt, has made a career out of making game-changing plays when they matter the most, so when he talks about another player doing the same thing, it's worth paying attention to.
Thompson went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft, after which he was signed by the New York Giants, but never broke through into the starting roster or made a big defensive play. He was signed by the Steelers in August of 2023 and then went to the practice squad after being waived. It wasn't until November 20th of the 2023 season that Thompson was officially promoted to the Steelers' active roster.
"Trent's been balling. He really has. No one's surprised by his success. He had a phenomenal preseason. A guy that's come in and not doing a whole lot of talking. He's trying to learn as much as possible and he's performing, and credit to him."
Thompson's interception came while the Bengals were driving deep in Pittsburgh's territory with less than 10 minutes left in the third quarter. With the Steelers trailing by four, and trying to avoid a deeper hole, Thompson stepped in front of a pass from Jake Browning. For a player who hadn't found a way to stand out, making that kind of play against a divisional opponent is something that Thompson can replay in his head all week long.
Steelers' Thompson Was The Catalyst For Long Scoring Drive
All eyes were on Pittsburgh's offense after the historic in-season firing of Canada. Would the change spark something, or would the same underperforming, out-gained Steelers' offense show up and disappoint all over again? While the game wasn't as comfortable as everyone in Pittsburgh may have been hoping for following Canada's removal, the difference was glaring.
Throughout Canada's time as offensive coordinator for the Steelers, they had never surpassed 400 yards of offense; a streak that had been going since late in the 2020 season, even before Canada took over. No one expected Pittsburgh to suddenly turn into the Miami Dolphins overnight, but there was the expectation that something had to improve, or else Mike Tomlin had made a major move for no reason. After Pittsburgh's 2023 Week 12 victory over the Bengals, the final statistics showed that the Steelers had shed themselves of the Canada issue by putting together 421 yards of total offense.
The game looked like it might be bleak when the Bengals took their first drive of the second half and were deep in Pittsburgh's territory before Thompson took the ball away and sent the Steelers on a long, 14-play, 79-yard drive that ended in a Najee Harris rushing touchdown to put the Steelers up 10-7. It may have gotten a little close for comfort near the end of the game, but the Steelers proved that with their biggest distraction out of the way, they were capable of being an offense worth watching. It won't always be joyful and celebratory, but for now the lack of Canada and a 7-4 record makes the rest of the 2023 season not seem as daunting.
Will the 2023 Steelers make the playoffs now that Canada is gone?
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