At approximately 1:02 p.m. Eastern Time yesterday, the entire city of Pittsburgh and Steeler Nation as a whole simultaneously erupted–the Steelers had completed a pass over the middle of the field. In fact, it was the first offensive snap of the game–a play that saw Pickett hit his tight end Pat Freiermuth on a skinny post for 24 yards. I do not think I can remember the last time the Steelers threw the ball over the middle of the field, let alone to a tight end. For context, Pat Freiermuth’s yardage total in yesterday’s game against the Bengals (120 yards on 9 catches) doubled his yardage accumulation over the entire season. Granted, he did miss five games, but it still says a lot about his usage (or lack thereof) under the previous regime.

First, I would like to assert that perhaps no one on earth was happier than me that Matt Canada was relieved of his duties on Tuesday. As I am sure you are aware, I have no respect for the man as a play-caller or game-planner. However, I did not expect much to change between then and now, considering the playbook is still the same. I thought that, at best, they would be slightly more productive.

This was not the case. The Steelers broke a streak of 58 (!!!) games without eclipsing 400 total yards on offense. To put that in perspective, Joe DiMaggio’s longest hitting streak–often considered to be one of the most unbreakable records in all of sports–was 56 games. Wayne Gretzky’s longest point streak–another seemingly unreachable feat–was “only” 51 games. The Steelers’ offensive ineptitude lasted longer than both of those incredible streaks. When the Steelers finally broke through and reached that elusive total–and finished with 421 total yards–I was incredulous. As I stated, I was not expecting any drastic changes.

Kenny Pickett (24/33 for 278 yards, 97.8 passer rating, 1 should-be touchdown pass [which I will discuss shortly]), Najee Harris (15 carries for 99 yards–including a ridiculous 22 yard tote during which he dragged the entire Bengals’ defense with him–and a touchdown), and Pat Freiermuth (9 catches on 11 targets for 120 yards) all played their best games of the season. Now, I am under no illusion that the Bengals’ defense is great, and they were also missing one of their starting defensive backs in Cam Taylor-Britt. However, facing a subpar defense has never stopped the Steelers’ offense from underperforming in the past.

You may be saying, “Zach, if the offense was so much better, why did the Steelers only score 16 points?” This is a fair question, as a point total as low as that does not usually correspond to what someone would consider to be offensive prowess. This is where the box score can be deceptive. Diontae Johnson dropped a touchdown pass with 4:50 left in the first quarter that would have put the Steelers up 7-0 (whether it was a real drop or something that Tomlin should have challenged is up for debate, but a receiver has to complete the catch regardless), and the play that immediately followed was a Jaylen Warren fumble.

This was incredibly frustrating–not just because Diontae’s hands proved to still be made of stone, but also because of his seemingly lackadaisical approach to going after the ball and then the ball carrier on the Warren fumble. In the end, it did not end up mattering, but it goes to show that the 16 points the Steelers scored may have been a misleading total.

Overall, it was an impressive performance relative to the rest of the season. The offense gained more yardage in the game than in any of the previous 58. The defense made timely plays–admittedly aided by backup quarterback Jake Browning’s inexperience. Chris Boswell again proved why he is one of the highest-paid kickers in the league. Because of these elements, it begs the question: is this a new era for the Steelers, marked by some semblance of competency in the offensive play-calling and an aggressive approach that allows Pickett to throw the ball between the numbers? Or was this one of those “new coach” games, where the players have a bit of an extra pep in their step that wears off shortly after? Is it possible that the only reason the Steelers moved the ball was because the Bengals did not have enough information on the interim play-caller (Mike Sullivan) and his tendencies?

Any Steelers fan would hope for the former. They have two very winnable games coming up against the 1-win Cardinals and the 2-win Patriots, the former of whom just got their franchise quarterback back from injury and the latter of whom has two quarterbacks who are both pathetic. There is no reason the Steelers should not be 9-4 heading into week 15. I am not even sure that these games should be used as measuring sticks for the new offense. However, it stands to reason that, if the game yesterday was simply an anomaly, the offense would revert back to its usual form. As I stated earlier, facing poor defenses has not stopped us from sucking in the past.

Hopefully the Steelers will get Minkah Fitzpatrick back soon. Although the backup safeties have performed admirably in his stead, they are no substitute for a perennial all-pro. Hopefully Manchester City can bounce back from consecutive draws against Chelsea and Liverpool and get all three points against Tottenham next Sunday. Hopefully Pitt’s men’s basketball team can knock off Missouri tomorrow, marking consecutive power-5 wins after they were trounced by Florida. Hopefully the Pirates will sign someone of value in the offseason.

I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. Thank you as always for reading.