Steelers' George Pickens says Pittsburgh didn't anticipate 49ers' coverage

The Pittsburgh Steelers offense looked lethargic, out of place, and downright unprepared during Sunday's loss to San Francisco. Putting together only one drive of competency that resulted in their lone TD, there was plenty of blame to go around. But second-year WR George Pickens has a specific reason as to why the team struggled, and […]

Rob Gregson — NFL News Writer

Sep 13, 2023 10:39 AM EDT

The Pittsburgh Steelers offense looked lethargic, out of place, and downright unprepared during Sunday's loss to San Francisco.

Putting together only one drive of competency that resulted in their lone TD, there was plenty of blame to go around.

But second-year WR George Pickens has a specific reason as to why the team struggled, and it points the finger at one particular coach:

"We Were Thinking Something Else"

“They were playing Cover 3, Cover 4 in the red zone. Every time we were thinking they were going to come out in Cover 4 open grass, but it was straight Cover 3," Pickens told reporters.

Now, this may come off as semantics, but the truth is that the majority of game week is about prepping for teams and their respective tendencies. That starts with the head coordinator on either side of the ball, meaning recognizing coverages you didn't prepare for largely falls at the feet of the OC.

And while I was clear in my postgame reaction when it comes to who's most to blame, that doesn't absolve Matt Canada from any criticism, as his offense continues to look inept and non-explosive when the games matter most.

But if he also isn't preparing the team for a variety of coverage concepts, than that may as well be coaching malpractice.

So I doubt Canada and Pittsburgh as a whole appreciate the comments of Pickens, even if he's right.

But maybe it will light a fire under Canada, not that he needs it when you consider he's on one of the hottest seats in the NFL.