Stephen A. Smith demands big change for Steelers after Kenny Pickett’s struggles vs Texans
Quarterback Kenny Pickett and the Pittsburgh Steelers' struggles continued Sunday afternoon in a 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans. Although the Steelers picked up victories in their previous two games in part to the defense, Houston's defense appeared to be too much for the Pittsburgh offense run by coordinator Matt Canada.
Calls for Canada to be fired continued after the game. On ESPN's "First Take" on Monday morning, Stephen A. Smith listed a few reasons why Canada should be dismissed.
"Did you know that since Matt Canada became the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021, the Steelers haven't had one single 400-yard game?" Smith said. "Every other NFL team has had at least four. Their offense ranks 29th in total offense, 25th in scoring offense. Yesterday, they didn't even cross the 50-yard line.
"He has to go. I've said this weeks ago: Matt Canada has to go."
The ESPN host feels that bringing in a new offensive coordinator will be the first step in solving Kenny Pickett's issues.
Kenny Pickett suffered a knee injury in the third quarter of Sunday's game. Backup Mitchell Trubisky then entered the game. The veteran quarterback also was unable to get anything going with the offense.
Kenny Pickett's career stats
The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted quarterback Kenny Pickett in the first round in 2022 out of the University of Pittsburgh after Ben Roethlisberger retired. Although Mitchell Trubisky was the starter at the beginning of the 2022 season, Pickett made his debut in Week 4 after Trubisky was benched.
The 25-year-old quarterback has now made 16 starts. He has thrown 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and has just a 62.4% completion rate. He averages just 6.2 yards per attempt and has a quarterback rating of 76.6.
In his four starts this season, he has thrown for just 803 yards.
He has also been sacked 38 times in his NFL career. Some of these stats are due to the offensive scheme and lack of protection from the offensive line. The Pittsburgh Steelers have continued their struggles from last season, which isn't great news for the remainder of the season.