Week 12 of the 2023 season marked the first week the Pittsburgh Steelers offense was without former offensive coordinator Matt Canada, who was fired recently. Canada was fired because of the team’s inability to score points and move the ball down the field consistently. While the Steelers didn’t score much on Sunday, they did move the ball better than they have all season.
In their first game sans Canada, the Steelers offense eclipsed 400 total yards for the first time all season (421). Quarterback Kenny Pickett, running back Najee Harris, and tight end Pat Freiermuth all recorded season-high yardage totals in their first game of the post-Matt Canada era.
After the game, Freiermuth addressed the media and seemed happy with the results while acknowledging that he and the rest of the Steelers offense need to continue taking strides in the right direction.
“We have to continue to move from here and build on it,” Freiermuth said per the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Joe Rutter.
Freiermuth missed Weeks 5-10 as he tended to a hamstring injury but seems to be back at full strength after having his best game of the season in the Steelers Week 12 win over the Bengals. He hauled in nine of his 11 targets for 120 receiving yards, leading all pass-catchers in receiving this week as of this writing (Monday Night Football has yet to be played).
The next opportunity for Freiermuth and the Steelers offense to continue developing their newfound offensive success will be in Week 13 when they host the Arizona Cardinals.
