I’m going to start with some facts that I do not think anyone can dispute.

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1. Something is wrong with the Steelers offense.
2. There are multiple people to blame and acting like there is one scapegoat is narrow-minded.
3. Kenny Pickett is consistently missing throws and creating sacks through poor movement in the pocket.
4. The offensive line is shaky at best and a complete turnstile at worst. How many running plays see the RB get hit in the backfield by multiple defenders within a half-second?
5. Matt Canada either cannot or will not design and call plays that take advantage of the middle of the field. The offense that he is in charge of is statistically one of the very worst in the NFL week in and week out.
6. Mike Tomlin is loyal to a fault towards both players and coaches. He continues to lose games that have no business even being close.

Now I think I am a pretty level-headed guy. I’m not out here demanding that the team makes the Super Bowl every year or even makes the playoffs every year. The NFL is intense, The AFC is the tougher of the two conferences, and the AFC North is usually the most hard-fought division.

But something has to change.

I’m not going to sit here and act like I know better than front office execs and coaches just because I spend 4 hours a week watching this team occasionally fall ass-backward into wins. The game against the Browns this week was the perfect example of everything wrong with this offense. It was supposed to jumpstart the push to win the division and make a playoff run but ended up throwing cold water on any hopes I had for the rest of the year.

The defense continually gifts the offense opportunities to score points and they are squandered again and again. The offense had 13 drives yesterday (11 not including the 2 that ended each half.)

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1. Get the ball pinned on our own 9, lose 2 yards, punt just 43 yards to the 50-yard line. Cleveland takes advantage of the short field (and a 15-yard facemask penalty) and scores their only TD of the game.
2. Get one first down, generate 18 yards, burn our 2nd timeout, punt,
3. Start at our own 16, putting a good drive together. Reach mid-field, throw 2 short incompletions after a 5-yard run on 1st down. Punt.
4. Start at the 33, Kenny runs all over the place for a couple plays. Punt.
5. After a goal-to-go stand by the D to hold Cleveland to a FG, we take a knee to go into halftime down 10-0. Less than 70 yards of total offense over 4 drives.
6. Jaylen Warren rips off a 74-yard beauty of a TD run to get the Steelers on the board. 10-7 with the entire 2nd half to play. Let’s track him specifically for the rest of the game.
7. Get the ball on the 13, go 3-and-out, punt. Warren do not touch the ball.
8. Start on the 20, Warren has a 9-yard catch called back for PI on DJ. He immediately rushes for 8 more yards. We call our 1st time out and pick up a 4th and 1 at our own 29 (ballsy). Najee loses 3, Kenny throws 2 incompletions, we punt and allow the Browns to get the ball at midfield after the return.
9. After a pick the Steelers take over at their own 23. Warren does not touch the ball. We go 3-and-out and watch Harvin shank a punt to our own 45.
10. Get the back back immediately at the 28, 4th quarter has just started. We go on a 13-play drive that covers 62 yards and takes 7 minutes. Warren generates 3 first downs on 5 touches. Steelers settle for a FG to tie the game.
11. The defense forces their FIFTH 3-and-out of the game and a shanked punt puts the Steelers offense at midfield with just under 6 minutes to go. A quick first-down pass to Pickens has us on the cusp of FG range. An incomplete pass, 5-yard loss by Najee, and a desperation screen to Warren forces a punt.
12. Another great defensive effort gets the Steelers a chance to complete a 2-minute drive and set up a game-winning FG. Three straight incomplete passes to DJ burn less than 30 seconds off the clock and we punt back to the Browns. Their rookie QB in his 2nd game leads the team 50 yards to kick their own game-winning FG. Steelers lose 13-10.
13. One final lateral attempt to end the game.

What am I missing here? Honestly? Yes - the Browns have one of the best defensive units in the league. But are we seriously going to sit here and accept an offense that, outside of the 74-yard TD, was only able to gain 175 yards? Why are we

There are seven games left this year. I fully expect to end the season with Kenny as the QB, Canada as the OC, and Tomlin as the HC. It is far too late to change anything that will matter. I am just asking to see any sign that things could be headed in the right direction going into the offseason.

The Steelers round out the year:

1. @ Cincinnati, missing their franchise QB.
2. vs. Arizona, a team that looks to be gunning for the #1 pick but just got Kyler Murray back.
3. vs. Patriots, at their lowest point since the 90s.
4. @ Colts, starting Garnder Minshew who many believe is a career backup but is playing as well as or better than Kenny.
5. vs. Cincinnati (see above)
6. @ Seattle, fighting for a playoff spot in the NFC
7. @ Ravens, most likely trying to secure a Bye and home field in the playoffs.

Looks to me like another 9-8 season on the horizon. Even if we made the playoffs, do we really want to watch this team march into Miami or Buffalo or god forbid Kansas City again?

So what needs to happen over the next 7 games to start fixing this offense? The way I see it here are only a few options.

1. Bench Kenny and let Trubisky or Rudolph take a shot. What’s the worst that could happen? We all know they are not starting-caliber QBs, but why not see what the offense looks like with someone else? Maybe it looks worse (if that’s possible) but maybe we start to see the deep passing game open up more. There is nothing to lose.
2. Give someone else a chance to call plays. Send Canada back up to the booth and let someone else give it a try. As I said before, what’s the worst that can happen?
3. Give Kenny and Canada one more opportunity to open things up. Take shots down the field, run trick plays, do whatever it takes to SAVE YOUR JOBS. Convince the team that you are a starting QB and a real OC.

I just want to see progress. I look forward to the games every week and am left disappointed more often than not. Yes the team is 6-4. Yes Tomlin has never had a losing record. Yes we have been spoiled with success as a fan base. But letting the past stop you from criticizing the present is not the recipe for addressing real issues.

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TLDR: The offense has major issues that are impossible to attribute to only one person. It’s time to figure out what needs to be changed and start moving in that direction.