The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to squeak out a 26-22 win against the Cleveland Browns on “Monday Night Football” in Week 2, but it wasn’t because of QB Kenny Pickett and the offense.
There could be several reasons for Pittsburgh’s struggling offense, particularly Pickett. Here are the glass half full and glass half empty viewpoints for the second-year quarterback.
Glass half full
It’s not time to hit the panic button quite yet. The Steelers just faced two of the top defenses, arguably the top two, in the NFL. The San Francisco 49ers held Pittsburgh to 239 yards a week ago, and the Browns held the Steelers to 255 yards Monday night. San Francisco and Cleveland also rank in the top three in fewest points allowed after the first two weeks of the season.
A large portion of the offensive woes can be placed on offensive coordinator Matt Canada. Canada has been consistently questioned for his play-calling, and loud chants of “fire Canada” echoed throughout the stadium in Week 2. However, the Steelers have a very favorable matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3. If they can’t find success next week, it may be time to lean toward the glass half empty viewpoint.
Glass half empty
It could soon be time to accept that Pickett is not the future of the franchise. The 25-year-old has looked lost at times, missing wide-open targets and holding on to the football too long. Even Pickett is critical of the offense, which is struggling to execute simple plays.
“There’s things we’ve got to do a lot better offensively,” Pickett told reporters after the game. “Staying on the field, third downs, putting points up. I mean, very ABC, vanilla stuff, playing better offensively. Period.”
The next few weeks when the schedule gets a little easier will be very telling. If Pickett can’t turn things around, Pittsburgh may have to look elsewhere sooner than later.
