Week 2 Takeaways: Steelers’ loss to Patriots highlights areas to immediately address
On Sunday, September 18, the Pittsburgh Steelers rolled out of the tunnel for their season home opener against the New England Patriots looking hungry after their Week One game that took the entire NFL world by surprise. Yes, there were adjustments to the roster that had to be made ahead of the game that had fans concerned and analysts wondering if the Steelers could maintain the level of defensive dominance they had against the Cincinnati Bengals. The answer became evident as each new series began and ended and the Patriots walked away from Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh with a 17-13 win; the Steelers – and all other AFC North teams – taking a loss in Week Two.
The “Kenny” chants are back
First off, don’t shoot the messenger. In the case of the particular message being sounded loud and clear across Steelers Nation this Monday, that Mitchell Trubisky looked more like he did with the Chicago Bears than as a starting quarterback for the Black and Gold, I think it’s a widely accepted discussion topic. Is all the negativity fair? Well, let’s look at that.
One of the things I noticed when Trubisky was with the Bears was his mobility, but that he often got antsy in the pocket; choosing to make throws off of his back foot or while making a hop. That wouldn’t necessarily be a complaint if – and this is a big if – he was more accurate in his throws when doing so. Things seemingly haven’t changed as Trubisky has transferred into the Pittsburgh offense.
Against the Patriots, Trubisky was slinging the ball most often while in motion, a lot of times in the middle of a hop, or from his back foot. The result? Inaccurracy and frustration from his receivers.
In the first half of the game, Trubisky completed just 11 of 19 passes (57.9 percent) for 96 yards (5.1 yards per attempt average). His longest pass went for 23 yards. He also gave up an interception and went into halftime with a 49.5 QB rating.
In the second half, Trubisky completed 10 of 14 passes (71.4 percent) for 72 yards (7.2 yards per attempt average). His longest pass went for 14 yards. He did complete a touchdown drive and up his QB rating to 106.9. To put that into perspective, though, it was during a hurry-up offense that Pittsburgh utilized to keep the Patriots’ defense on the field and from substituting.
While it was unlikely Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin or the coaching staff would have pulled Trubisky out of the game on Sunday despite his struggles, there are now going to be discussions amongst fans and NFL analysts about what the Steelers organization might choose to do with a divisional rivalry coming up on Thursday Night. My best guess is that Trubisky stays in place unless the Steelers turn to Mason Rudolph. Would I love to see Pickett get a shot? Sure, I would. I’m not 100 percent convinced that the Cleveland game is the right environment to trot the rookie out into, however.
Not enough weight on “weighty downs”
In his postgame press conference, Tomlin said, “Really (it was) one of those really tight ball games that’s going to come down to a few things, and we knew that going in… That’s why you put the weight on the weighty downs or the situational moments.” He emphasized that the Patriots made more “splash plays” in the game and that the NFL is full of moments like that that become difference-makers.
The Steelers didn’t win the turnover battle. They weren’t able to generate a consistent-enough offense to truly threaten the Patriots’ defense, or keep them guessing. The defense was once again gassed and got zero sacks on Mac Jones who, just days before, had been dealing with back issues and an illness. Pittsburgh, overall, started out with some pep and then lost step after step before finding a rare play here and there that got the crowd back into it.
The key thing, though, is that not everything is broken. There are some areas that need to be addressed immediately, considering the Steelers have a short week between games. There’s just enough time to focus on those highlight areas in order to get game-ready for the Browns.
Although the offensive line will continue to be under fan scrutiny until they prove they can pass protect and run block in Matt Canada’s offense, regardless of who is at quarterback, it will be the run stop on defense and the pass pressure that should have a mechanic look-over in practice. Against a poor offensive line, the run defense looked much better, but they didn’t fire all at once against the Patriots. The Browns run offense is more formidable and will give Pittsburgh fits if things aren’t tuned up right away.
Quick repairs along the defensive front will require that the Steelers’ defensive secondary and special teams unit up their game as well. If you want to win the “weighty downs,” you have to protect the ball, create instead of give-up turnovers, and give your team positive momentum. Period.
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