Rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett has assembled two straight dramatic winning drives.

The running game has improved.

The offensive line is much better.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have rallied from 2-6 to 8-8 and are still in the playoff hunt as Week 18 beckons.

Everything adds up to the much-maligned Matt Canada returning as offensive coordinator next season.

There’s no logical way to separate Canada from the good while making what’s bad his responsibility. Doing so would be unfair.

There’s still much to dislike about the offense.

It’s averaging just 17.5 points, fourth-lowest in the NFL.

It’s averaging 321.9 yards, 23rd in the league.

The running attack has picked up, as witnessed by 198 yards rushing at Baltimore on Sunday. The Steelers possessed the ball for over 34 minutes in the 16-13 win against the Ravens. Those are impressive figures in a vacuum but also reflect an outdated approach.

. @TimBenzPGH and @MarkMaddenX on Monday's Unfiltered discuss the #Steelers offense and offensive coordinator Matt Canada. pic.twitter.com/G9jvzMhtFJ

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) January 2, 2023

The only time Pickett shows quick-strike capability is when he’s forced to. If he was turned loose earlier, maybe less games would come down to the final drive. In today’s NFL, you must throw the ball down the field. You need chunk plays.

It’s hard to truly evaluate Pickett’s progress.

On the winning drive, Pickett was 5 of 6 for 65 yards. Prior to that, he was 10 of 21 for 103 yards. Yuck.

Pickett seems a man of big moments. But he also helps the Steelers paint themselves into corners. His biggest attributes remain intangible. #moxie

The Steelers’ climb from 2-6 to 8-8 has been epic. What it gets them remains to be seen.

At best, if dominos continue falling, it gets them slaughtered in the first round of the playoffs for a second consecutive season.

If they miss the postseason, it gets them a much worse draft pick than they once seemed destined for.

If they beat or tie visiting Cleveland next Sunday, coach Mike Tomlin maintains his record of never having a losing season. His other failures thus continue to hide in plain sight.

How will the Steelers perceive their roster composition if they finish 9-8?

Related:

• Madden Monday: Will the Steelers retain Matt Canada and keep the offensive line together? • Feats of Strength: Another late Kenny Pickett TD drive, Najee Harris' exploits 'push' Steelers to victory in Baltimore • First Call: Update on Miami QBs; checking Deshaun Watson's progress before Steelers game; Winter Classic preview • 5 things we learned: Chance for 1,000-yard season shows how far Steelers' Najee Harris has come

That offensive line isn’t as bad as it was or we thought it would be.

But does that mean it’s good enough?

Will the Steelers use their first-round pick to get an anchor at left tackle or center? Or will they cite this season’s improvement on the O-line and add elsewhere? Maybe get a skill-position player, another shiny new toy.

Dan Moore Jr. just isn’t good enough at left tackle. The offensive line has coalesced via avoiding injury to an extremely fortunate degree.

That offensive line needs bolstered. It needs depth, at the very least. But now, maybe Tomlin won’t think so.

“Take Peezy’s kid.” It will be glorious.

The Steelers’ rally will lead them (and you) to think they’re closer than they are. That’s not good.

What the Steelers needed was a four-win season to truly illuminate their problems and get them better draft picks.

Now they seem firmly trapped in “Finish middle, draft middle, stay middle.”

But if the goal is to merely not stink, that’s been realized.

It’s been an impressive resurrection, made more so by getting a second win against a team with a winning record.

The Steelers have proven something. I’m just not sure what.

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