Thursday night games are grueling leading up to the game, as teams have to typically scramble from playing over the weekend to getting ready for a game within a few days. That said, you do get the benefit afterward where now you have a long stretch before playing again, almost like another bye week.
This is a good time to rest up and get healthy. It is also a good time to make some changes to the roster, as there is plenty of time to get acclimated. The Steelers enter this period off a win, but changes still need to be made. Here are five critical changes Pittsburgh has to implement during this stretch.
Steelers need to keep Matt Canada on the turf
In what became a bigger talking point than it arguably should have been, Matt Canada called plays from the sideline against the Titans as opposed to in the box. While this shouldn’t have made the news as it did, the team did seem to perform better.
No, Canada being on the field didn’t suddenly make him an elite offensive coordinator. Nor did it even make the offense elite, as they only put up 20 points. What it did do was allow Canada to coordinate the changes he wanted to implement quicker and easier, as he wasn’t communicating from the booth.
It was a noticeable difference in this game, and because of that, it has to stay. I fully expect this offense to continue to struggle even with Canada on the field, but if it helps make some improvements, it has to be seen as worth it. Just in time for winter, Canada should be ready to remain on the sideline during games.