Justification for the “Blame Canada” crowd arrived on Sunday as the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense finally broke out in a 16-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. TE Pat Freiermuth was one of the main beneficiaries of Pittsburgh's new-look offense.
“Obviously, started off not the way I wanted to,” Freiermuth remarked on his 2023 season after Sunday's win, per TribLIVE.com's Chris Adamski. “Got rolling a little bit in the Raiders, and then the hamstring came up.”
Freiermuth recorded just two catches for five yards in the Steelers' first two games before a solid three-catch, 41-yard performance against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3. But a hamstring injury suffered in Week 4 sidelined him for the team's next five games.
The Penn State product returned in Week 11 against the Cleveland Browns. But it was a quiet one, with just one catch for seven yards upon his return to the lineup.
Steelers offense finally enjoys big game
Finally, on Sunday, Freiermuth posted the big game he'd be looking for. He finished Week 12's victory over the Bengals with nine catches for 120 yards, a career-high.
The Steelers offense racked up 421 yards, with QB Kenny Pickett setting his high mark of the season with 278 yards passing. It marked the first time this season that the Steelers outgained an opponent, validating the decision to let go of offensive coordinator Matt Canada mid-season.
After the game, Freiermuth acknowledged the growth, and hoped to keep things rolling under interim OC Eddie Faulkner. “Hopefully, just stay healthy and build on this performance, especially as an offense. We had all our pieces together, and just gotta keep going.”
With the win, the Steelers improved to 7-4 and further damaged the Bengals' chances in the stacked AFC North.
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