Steelers' Offense Absolutely Trashed By Dan Orlovsky After Brutal Week 11 Showing

Pittsburgh had a second and 11 with less than three minutes left in the game's opening quarter. Orlovsky pointed out that the goal of the design should have been to get George Pickens one on one and, although that was accomplished, he was completely ignored and Pickett decided to throw a swing pass to Jaylen Warren that resulted in a loss.

"Here's my thing. Why get in this formation and get your one on one and not throw it? You're getting in the formation to create the one on one. So throw him the ball."

The Steelers offensive personnel has been clear when discussing the lack of game-changing plays that have been made by Pickens in 2023. Most of the answers about his lack of targets in recent weeks has been that he gets double-teamed and draws a lot of attention. He wasn't on the play Orlovsky analyzed, but he still was not even looked at.

The former NFL quarterback was not shy as he ripped into Pickett for his decision-making and Canada for the play that seems to sum up the Steelers 2023 offense quite well.

"What's the point of that play? I struggle. If you're telling me the [running] back is the hot [route] then why can't the hitch that's a one on one be the, to our best player, be the hot? That's one of my issues. It's a wasted play."

Taking a long look at this one play isn't fun for Steelers fans. The college-style offense that Canada seems to be loyal to hasn't worked since he became the play-caller in 2021. While he is almost certainly to be gone in 2024, questions have to start being asked about Pickett and how he looks while processing plays. It's a sincere possibility that he is not the future at the position for Pittsburgh.

The two things that almost every dominant team in the NFL have are a play-making quarterback and innovative offensive coordinator. The Steelers don't seem to have either of those things. The defense does what it can to keep the team in games, but when Pickett didn't show his fourth quarter prowess on Sunday, Pittsburgh learned a lesson that it's not something the organization can rely on.

Steelers Have Another Tough Divisional Game Ahead

While the Cincinnati Bengals have lost Joe Burrow for the remainder of the 2023 season, the Steelers have always proven to play down to competition under Tomlin. A Week 12 showdown in Cincinnati is a must-win if Pittsburgh wants to keep their hopes of a divisional championship alive. More poor play from Pickett and strategy coming at the direction of Canada will be a recipe for disaster.