Gerry Dulac:This is not a good time for the Steelers to play a home game

PITTSBURGH — This is not a good time for the Steelers to have a home game, not if they want to risk another fan mutiny.

After the way the offense performed in Houston, not scoring a touchdown for only the second time in 69 games, this is not a good time for the Steelers to return to Acrisure Stadium.

Not against a division rival that held the Texans and Cleveland Browns to 12 points, teams that managed to put up 52 points against the Steelers

Not against the Baltimore Ravens, who have held the Steelers to an average of 17 points in the past five meetings anyway.

This is not a good time for Matt Canada.

And it might not be a good time for the Steelers organization.

Remember what happened the last time they played at home? The offense had nine first downs. They converted 4 of 14 third-down opportunities. Kenny Pickett completed only 50 percent of his attempts, and the Steelers averaged 2.6 yards a rush.

Sure, they beat the Browns 26-22. But only because Alex Highsmith returned an interception for a touchdown, and T.J. Watt returned a fumble for a touchdown. Even in victory, though, it didn’t stop the stadium crowd from starting the chant — “Fire Matt Canada” — that everyone in the Steelers organization could hear.

And it will be waiting to erupt again.

It might only take one bad series. Maybe two. But, after what everyone witnessed in Houston — when the Steelers had 17 yards of offense and just one first down in the first 20 minutes — the crowd will be waiting to pounce on the offensive coordinator like a Doberman finding a soup bone.

And then what?

How much longer will the Steelers continue to tolerate what they have been watching, not just for four games, but for 2 1/4 seasons?

More specifically, how much longer will Mike Tomlin continue to tolerate an offense that struggles to score points, has no identity of what it would it like to be and is devoid of any semblance of consistency?

The Steelers have never fired a coach who was under contract mid-season, and if they have, nobody can remember when. But there is some evidence Tomlin won’t just sit idly by and do nothing.

In fact, he did fire one of his coaches after the start of the preseason. In 2012, he let go of special teams coordinator Al Everest, but that was for reasons that had nothing to do with football or coaching.

In 2013, disappointed with the play of his offensive line, Tomlin reduced the role of offensive line coach Jack Bicknell during the season. He gave many of the duties to offensive assistant Shaun Sarrett, who would eventually become their offensive line coach years later.

Just so everyone understands, Tomlin is the sole person in charge of his coaching staff. He hires them, and he replaces them. But that doesn’t mean team president Art Rooney II doesn’t get involved. Because sometimes he does.

After the 2011 season, Tomlin wanted to retain Bruce Arians as his offensive coordinator and give him a new contract. He even told Arians as much during season-end meetings. However, the Rooneys — Art and his father, Dan, the team’s late chairman — did not want to rehire Arians. So they put out a statement that Arians had decided to retire, even though he was hired a week later by the Indianapolis Colts.

Canada’s case could follow a similar path because his contract expires at the end of the season.

So keep this in mind:

If the fans at Acrisure Stadium start to boo on Sunday, their displeasure is directed at the offense in general and Canada in particular.

However, if the crowd starts chanting, “Fire Matt Canada,” the venom and frustration are not directed at the offensive coordinator but rather Tomlin and, by extension, Rooney. That is their way of imploring the Steelers to do something about an offense that has averaged 18.7 points since the start of the 2021 season.

The chances of the Steelers starting fast against the Ravens and assuaging the crowd are not very favorable. Of their 24 first-half possessions this season, 18 have ended without any points, four of those because of turnovers. Of those 18 possessions, 11 were three-and-out.