Steelers, Division Leaders A Month Ago, Bench Trubisky And Have Devolved Into 'A Poor' Team
After he laid an ostrich-sized egg against the otherwise hapless New England Patriots last week, Mitch Trubisky got something of an endorsement from head coach Mike Tomlin.
"It's a reasonable expectation for him to be even better," Tomlin said of his embattled backup quarterback.
Well, um, wrong.
Trubisky got the start for the Steelers on Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts. But he didn't get to finish, as Tomlin finally saw reason amid a whipping at the hands of the Colts and benched Trubisky in favor of Mason Rudolph.
INDIANAPOLIS - Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on during the fourth quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Steelers Tomlin Takes Responsibility For Mess
Not that it mattered.
The Steelers were totally whipped by then even as the 30-13 final was still minutes away.
And now the uncertainty of the rest of the season looms.
"Alright, let's be honest, we're a fundamentally poor football group right now," Tomlin said after the game. "We're playing losing football and I take responsibility for that. By losing football I mean we're doing fundamental things well enough. We're not.
"We're turning the ball over. We are highly penalized. We don't play good in situations. And so I'm acknowledging that."
INDIANAPOLIS - The Pittsburgh Steelers looked "poor" against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Steelers Benched Trubisky, Insert Mason Rudolph
The Steelers definitely don't handle their offense's passing situations well. And it's nothing new. Remember they fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada earlier this season and that seemed to solve issues for about five minutes before reality returned.
The Steelers haven't scored more than two touchdowns in a game since October. And Trubisky hasn't helped.
The quarterback managed only 169 passing yards on Saturday and threw 2 interceptions. So he was benched. But even that felt empty.
The game was three minutes from sending the Steelers to their third consecutive loss and fourth in five weeks.
But this is about where it all leaves the Steelers. And their quarterback situation. And Tomlin.
INDIANAPOLIS - Mo Alie-Cox of the Indianapolis Colts runs past Mark Robinson of the Pittsburgh Steelers while scoring a touchdown during the third quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Mike Tomlin Has No Answers
And the answers are not awesome for the Terrible Towel folks out there.
"I don't necessarily have the answers as we sit here today," Tomlin said. "If I had the answers we would have played differently today. But I will acknowledge, man, things won't continue the way they are.
"We're not going to keep doing the same things we're doing and expect or hope for a different result."
Tomlin did not name Rudolph the starter for next week's game against the Bengals. He did apparently tell the NFL Network crew during their production meeting that Pickett has a small chance of returning as early as next week.
That may save face but it may not save the season. The Steelers, you see, were actually leading the AFC North a month ago. They were 7-4 in games Pickett started and was able to finish.
But Pickett suffered a high ankle injury on Dec. 3 against the Arizona Cardinals and had surgery the next day to speed his recovery.
PITTSBURGH - Kenny Pickett of the Pittsburgh Steelers is checked on by Mason Cole after being injured against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Kenny Pickett Absence Has Obviously Hurt
Pickett has missed two games and, yes, the damage has been done. The Steelers in those two games lost to teams -- Arizona and New England -- that had only two wins each.
So not only is a quarterback change likely but other changes might be coming as well.
"Man, everything's on the table at this juncture," Tomlin said. "We can't play football like that."
The Steelers' playoff hopes have sunk like, well, steel in water. They were in contention as the No. 6 seed when Saturday dawned. Now they find themselves in 11th spot in the AFC and only seven teams qualify for the postseason.
They no longer have a viable backup in Trubisky, who was actually signed last year to be the starter.
And there are questions what direction Tomlin is taking the team this year. The coach, hired in 2007, has never had a losing season in Pittsburgh.