The Pittsburgh Steelers' 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns was dramatic for several reasons. For one, the Steelers defense allowed a rookie quarterback making his second career start to engineer a game-winning drive, and the Steelers offense had yet another terrible outing, which led to the firing of offensive coordinator Matt Canada. Frustrations reportedly boiled over after the final whistle on Sunday, as ESPN reports Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick were involved in a heated argument.
ESPN reports that Johnson had an animated conversation with head coach Mike Tomlin on the sidelines. Johnson then reportedly continued "chirping" at the Steelers coaches all the way to the locker room, when Fitzpatrick began arguing with the wideout. That's when Cameron Heyward and T.J. Watt intervened to stop any escalation, and told everyone that the team needs to stick together.
The Steelers recorded just 249 yards of total offense vs. Cleveland. Pittsburgh has been out-gained in 10 straight games, which is tied for the longest streak in franchise history. The Steelers have also failed to reach 400 yards of total offense in 58 straight games. Changes clearly had to be made, which is why the Steelers made their first head coach/coordinator midseason firing since 1941.
Entering Week 12, the Steelers average 280.1 yards of total offense per game, and 16.6 points per game. Both rank fifth-worst in the league this season. With Canada gone, running backs coach Eddie Faulkner is expected to take over as offensive coordinator, with quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan as the new play-caller, according to CBS Sports HQ Senior NFL Insider Josina Anderson.
The Steelers begin a new offensive era this Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. ESPN's sources believe the incident between Johnson and Fitzpatrick did not carry over into the team's preparation for Week 12.
