The Bad: Canada's playcalling is still painfully predictable
Credit where it's due, Matt Canada's playcalling was improved this week.
Outlets and analysts from every corner of the NFL community looked at the Steelers offensive tendencies and acknowledged how predictable this scheme is. The product of 'the good' in this week's article speaks to how he responded.
That said, early in the contest Canada's scheme was still largely predictable to the point that the Raiders were keyed in on the Steelers intentions. When a team is willing to stack the box on second and long because they are so confident the call will be a run, the offense is going to have problems.
Yes, the Steelers broke tendencies, especially in the second half, but starting slow isn't an option in the NFL. These tendencies -- running on second down no matter what, throwing outside the numbers the majority of the time, avoiding play-action -- have to be irradicated entirely for the offense to capitalize.
To piggyback off the poor playcalling, an extra point against the scheme should be quickly noted: Why are Dan Moore and Chukwuma Okorafor blocking Maxx Crosby one-on-one regularly? Trust your guys, take chances - please.
But respect Crosby as one of the best pass rushers in the league and chip him with a tight end or running back more often. Crosby doesn't have a running mate with Chandler Jones away from the team, so there's little excuse to not put extra bodies between Crosby and the quarterback.