The Pittsburgh Steelers won their first game of the season on Monday Night Football, as they defeated the rival Cleveland Browns 26-22. That can be attributed to the defense, as Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt forced turnovers on quarterback Deshaun Watson and returned them for touchdowns.
As for the offense, minus a huge touchdown pass from quarterback Kenny Pickett to wide receiver George Pickens, it didn't do much. This follows up their Week 1 performance in which they were outmatched and shut down for the most part against the San Francisco 49ers.
On Monday, head coach Mike Tomlin spoke about the struggles of the offense so far this season. The long-time head coach said simply that they "have to get [their] mojo back."
"We have to get our mojo back," Tomlin said, h/t NFL.com. "We have to get that mojo that we had in the preseason where we're playing fast and fluid with confidence individually and collectively. We've lost that, to be blunt, in the last several weeks."
Mike Tomlin wants the Steelers offense from the preseason to show up in the regular season
The Steelers fanbase was hyped up this summer watching Pickett lead the offense to touchdowns on early drives in preseason games. The expectation was that this would carry over into the regular season and give the Steelers a legitimate shot to make the playoffs.
Instead, the offense has disappeared. In Week 1 against San Francisco, Pittsburgh only put up 239 yards of total offense (198 passing yards, 41 rushing yards). On Monday vs. Cleveland, Pittsburgh had 255 yards of total offense (200 passing yards, 55 rushing yards).
Steelers fans were vocal in their displeasure with offensive coordinator Matt Canada, as they have in the past. In primetime, the fans in attendance chanted "Fire Canada."
The Steelers hope that their offense can come to life next Sunday, as they face the Las Vegas Raiders in primetime.
