Steelers QB Kenny Pickett Says Matt Canada’s Firing Is Personal: ‘We’ve All Got To Be Better’

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett said the firing of offensive coordinator Matt Canada — the franchise's first mid-season coaching change since 1941 — is "a challenge to everybody" in the organization to step up.

"I feel you have to take it personal," Pickett said of Canada's firing. "It’s a guy I’ve worked with since I got drafted here. You want to play great, you don’t want to see anyone get let go like that. We have to answer the bell, find out what we need to do to play better, and then just go take care of business.

“You hate to see it,” Pickett added. “You don’t want to see one of your coaches lose their job. We’ve all got to be better.”

Canada was fired Tuesday after the Steelers' 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The Steelers are 28th in points (15), 28th in yards (280.1) and 31st in passing yards per game (170), and Pickett has one of the worst completion percentages (60.5%) in the league.

“We’ve all got to improve,” Pickett told reporters this week. “I’ve got to play a lot better. We’ve got to play a lot better as an offense — put more points on the board. Our defense is doing a great job, so we’ve got to handle our business.”

“I’m a perfectionist,” he added. “I’ve always been that way. I’m always the hardest on myself and how I need to play and the standard I hold myself to.”

Pickett, 25, was the Steelers' first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of the University of Pittsburgh. He's thrown for 1,722 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions. As a rookie in 2022 for a 9-8 Steelers team, Pickett threw for 2,404 yards, seven touchdowns and nine picks.

Despite its offensive woes, Mike Tomlin's Pittsburgh squad is 6-4 ahead of its road AFC North matchup vs. the Cincinnati Bengals (5-5) on Sunday.