Dan Orlovsky says Kenny Pickett and Steelers offense looked 'significantly better'

The Steelers’ offense continues to be a topic of conversation, despite the team’s 2-1 record following Sunday night’s win over the Raiders. NFL analyst and ESPN personality Dan Orlovsky explained that Pittsburgh is actually looking better on that side of the football.

Orlovsky joined the Pat McAfee Show (so much for him “never coming on the show again,” right?) and was asked about Pittsburgh’s offense on Sunday. He was very complimentary of the group, as well as the play of quarterback Kenny Pickett.

“(It looked) Totally different than it did in the first week, I know that. And very similar to what it did last week,” Orlovsky said. “Way more creativity with the formations. Way more creativity with how they utilized pass concepts. There wasn’t as many repeat pass concepts. …

“Kinda talkin’ last week, I thought the offense for the Steelers wasn’t schematically a problem last week — Kenny did not play well. Kenny certainly, last night, connected on those moments that were there, that presented themselves.”

"The Steelers offense had way more creativity last night and Kenny Pickett was significantly better" ~ @danorlovsky7 #PMSLive #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/1uKgvrXhp4

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 25, 2023

Orlovsky also said Pickett’s “eye discipline” was much better in Week 3 than in the previous two games. So, while it might not be the most prolific unit in the league, the analyst sees some improvement.

Pickett completed 16-of-28 passes for 235 yards with two touchdowns in the 23-18 win. The Steelers hope to get their third straight win of the season, traveling to Houston to play the Texans on Sunday.

Steelers OC Matt Canada responds to critics

Frustration about Pittsburgh’s offense reached a peak in the Week 2 game against Cleveland. Although the Steelers defeated the Browns 26-22, fans started chanting “Fire Canada” because of a lackluster offensive performance.

But those chants didn’t seem to bother the OC.

“Obviously, I was working, we had a tough play,” Canada said. “There’s not one ounce of lack of confidence in the players that I have, or lack of confidence of the coaches that I have. We’re going to play better, we’re going to get it right. We’re not putting out on the field what we expected to do in those two games.

“The fans want us to win. They want us to play better, so there’s nothing wrong with their passion in those things. And obviously, we’re not going to — Mike T says it all the time, we’re not running away from it. We expect to be better. We’re going to be better. I firmly believe that. So, until we do that, obviously there’s going to be frustration. [There’s] more frustration with our guys because we’re not happy with what we’re putting on tape and putting on the field. So, we’ll continue to work and we’ll get it right and we’ll get it better. I firmly believe that.”

Most of the frustration stems from Pittsburgh’s Week 1 loss to the 49ers, falling 30-7. The offense has looked much better over the last two games.