2023 Steelers Season Recall: Trubisky benched as Minshew throws three touchdown passes
Steel City Underground presents our 2023 Steelers Recall: A Look Back at Pittsburgh Steelers games and storylines from last season.
After leading 13-0 early in their NFL Week 15 game on the road against the Indianapolis Colts, the Steelers took their third demoralizing loss in as many weeks as the Colts ate up clock – and yardage – in an embarrassing game that made the season look all but done for good.
After dropping losses to two, two-win teams, the Steelers started backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky against the Colts; who also started a backup quarterback (Gardner Minshew) much like their previous opponents. The Colts were also without key playmakers, such as Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr. (Who was injured during the game.) Even Taylor’s backup, Zach Moss, was lost on the opponent’s side in-game.
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Having said that, with so many backups in play, the game appeared to be winnable for the Steelers: whose offense came out looking motivated.
A Trubisky keeper past the plane of the goal line came loose, and despite Najee Harris‘s recovery was blown dead. On review, it was determined that – by rule – a Steelers player could not advance the ball… but the film also showed the ball had made it into the required end zone area. Touchdown Trubisky.
And then Chris Boswell missed the PAT.
Trubisky led another drive that was spearheaded by a fabulous play by both Connor Heyward and Nick Herbig on a punt block and recovery that was ruled by officials to have been downed just outside of the end zone. Giving the ball to the offense, Trubisky found Diontae Johnson open on a short rub route to the left for what would be the final points Pittsburgh would score in the game (not counting Boswell’s successful PAT on his second attempt.)
That the Pittsburgh offense and defense looked primed for a big bounce back game gave fans a sense of relief that was quickly eliminated.
Safety Damontae Kazee was ejected from the game on a play that had both him and the Colts receiver diving for a poorly thrown Minshew pass.
NFL suspended Steelers safety Damontae Kazee for remainder of season/postseason for ‘repeated violations.’ pic.twitter.com/lKVu5ayAHy
— Mike Chappell (@mchappell51) December 18, 2023
On the very next play, Minkah Fitzpatrick was injured in an eerily similar situation as he and a Colts receiver collided while both making an attempt for another Minshew pass. The loss of those two players, and an injury to fellow safety Trenton Thompson (who was able to return to the game) seemed to remove the energy from the Steelers.
What slammed the door shut on Pittsburgh was an inability by the defense to stop the run attack and middle-of-the-field strikes the Colts utilized offensively as well as a lack of positive execution with any consistency when their own offense took the field.
Despite the Colts not having Taylor or Moss, their backups were able to rack up big yards. Trey Sermon (88 yards), who is on his third NFL team in as many years, and practice squad elevation Tyler Goodson (69 yards) helped Indy combine for 170 total rushing yards.
Offensively, Pittsburgh would have a few good plays sprinkled in with poor decision making and lack of focus. That George Pickens, who’d been calling for more balls to be put up for him to battle for, got out high-pointed by the Colts on what would have been a big play was deflating.
The Steelers run game had fallen off of a cliff as of late, with teams stacking the box and forcing the quarterback to beat them. This game was no different, as Jaylen Warren (40 yards) and Najee Harris (33 yards) combined for only 73 yards. Trubisky finished with only one yard as well.
Even more of a let down was a three play Hail Mary sling-fest put on by Trubisky at the end of the first half that didn’t end there. His best throw was arguably when he finally stepped up in the pocket and hit Johnson on a route that was timed well.
Coaching decisions were ineffective in producing the desired outcome, as well. Rather than have K Chris Boswell attempt a 56-yard field goal, indoors, following an 8-play 65 yard drive near the end of the third quarter, Mike Tomlin opted to punt the football from the Indianapolis 39-yard-line.
The 22-yard punt was fielded at the Colts 17-yard line, and after converting a first down, Indy had already reached the Steelers line of scrimmage. The play didn’t flip the field and didn’t pin the Colts as the result. Instead, it culminated in a 15-play drive by Indianapolis. This drive consumed 70 yards and nearly nine minutes of game clock, as the Steelers defense was unable to stop the Colts, who ran the ball all but once on this series.
Surprisingly, the Steelers held the Colts to only three points on a 3rd-and-6 where Minshew was finally forced to attempt to throw, which ultimately fell incomplete. However, the damage was done by the wild card play of the Colts run game. Indianapolis would run the ball 20 times in the second half and 34 times in this game.
Down 14 points with nine minutes remaining in the game, Mike Tomlin stuck with his veteran backup Mitchell Trubisky rather than make a change at the quarterback position. Trubisky would take his third sack of the evening (all in the second half) before throwing his second interception of the game with 6:05 left on the clock.
The Steelers would get the ball back with 2:08 to go, as they made the switch to QB Mason Rudolph: benching Trubisky for the evening. The move was too late, with Rudolph coming in cold, playing from behind (14 points) with only two timeouts and the two minute warning to work with.
Who made what play calls? Why not allow a field goal try? Why wait to have Rudolph attempt to give the offense a different approach? For all intents and purposes it appeared the coaching staff had run out of answers and was grasping at the straws of a lost season. The Steelers dropped to a 7-7 record with a 30-13 loss that knocked them to the lowest rung of playoff contention with a 7-7 record.
