Steelers offensive points per game have plummeted in recent years

Following a 2020 season that ended in disappointment with a humiliating playoff loss against the Cleveland Browns, fans were calling for the Pittsburgh Steelers to get rid of offensive coordinator, Randy Fichtner. A parting of the two parties came to fruition, and fans got their wish. Sadly, the results on offense these past two years have been worse.

I remember vividly some conversations with fans about how the Steelers offense had nowhere to go but up with the transition from Fichtner to Matt Canada. But now we know never to count our chickens before they hatch.

Recently, I took a look at Pittsburgh's scoring offense in each season over the past decade. After possessing a very respectable offense with Ben Roethlisberger and the 'Killer B's', things have taken a dramatic turn for the worst in recent years.

According to Team Rankings, Pittsburgh's scoring offense has ranked anywhere between 5th and 27th over the past decade of football. The best years from the Steelers came with offensive coordinator Todd Haley. This also happened to be during the prime of Ben Roethlisberger's career. Obviously, being aided by a good offensive line for much of this time and players like Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell, and Martavis Bryant certainly helps.

The past four years have been far less than ideal. What's really concerning is that Pittsburgh has managed more than 20.2 points per game just once since 2018. Ironically, Randy Fichtner was fired following a 2020 season in which his offense scored 26.6 points per game. During this season, Roethlisberger threw 33 touchdown passes compared to just 10 interceptions, per ESPN stats.

These stats were a bit misleading, however. Roethlisberger's yards per attempt in 2020 ranked near the bottom of the league, and this offense rarely ran the ball in for touchdowns. They just happened to be pretty good in the red zone (which is important).

Matt Canada must get Steelers offense back on track

Since then, things have been worse than we could have imagined since Matt Canada took over as the team's offensive coordinator. The Pittsburgh Steelers have collectively managed an average of just over 19.1 points per game over the past two seasons with Canada calling the shots.

This is a number that needs to improve by leaps and bounds. Going into this third year as the team's offensive coordinator, there will be no room for error. Omar Khan and Andy Weidl reconstructed the left side of the offensive line with players like Broderick Jones and Isaac Seumalo, while the Steelers will be adding weapons like Darnell Washington and Allen Robinson II.

Additionally, Calvin Austin III and Anthony Miller are set to return to the team and could potentially give Pittsburgh some quality options from the slot. Regardless of how he gets there, Canada knows that he's on his last legs, and a mid-season firing may not be out of the question if his offense struggles as badly as it did last year.

There's no doubt that the Pittsburgh Steelers are a more talented team on paper than they have been in a few years. Now it's time to get back on track. Historically, this team has been known for their dominant Steel Curtain defenses, but in today's high-scoring league, it's going to require a respectable offense to become Super Bowl contenders. Matt Canada's offense needs to take a substantial step up in points per game if they want to stand a shot at competing in 2023.