In one of the uglier performances of the Mike Tomlin era, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost to Arizona, 24-10 on Sunday, and with just four days until the equally-lowly New England Patriots visit Pittsburgh, injuries of both the physical and psychological nature are now piled up in the corner next to the giant L they just took like so much dirty laundry.
Two lightning delays – one that extended halftime into a 45-minute affair, nine penalties for 77 yards, and no less than half a dozen injuries to starters put the Steelers in a position where they simply couldn’t afford to take the 2-10 tanking Cardinals lightly.
“I feel like we came out and took them a little more lightly than we should have,” said RB Jaylen Warren.
“We just can’t do that.”
Head Coach Mike Tomlin, T.J. Watt, and Minkah Fitzpatrick all insisted they were prepared, though.
“I think everybody prepared as if we were playing a top tier opponent,” Fitzpatrick said after the game. “I think we were confident, not over confident.”
Regardless, when starters began leaving the game on both sides of the ball, the wheels began falling off.
“I thought we struggled from a communications standpoint when Elandon Roberts went down,” Tomlin said. Roberts left on the second play of Arizona’s 14-play, 99-yard, go-ahead march late in the second quarter with a groin injury and didn’t return.
Roberts, Isaac Seumalo, and Kenny Pickett all departed in the second quarter and failed to make it back on the field.
Although Pickett was spotted on the sideline in the third quarter wearing a walking boot on his right ankle.
With Fitzpatrick missing time due to a broken hand, Diontae Johnson pulling up short of a deep ball with an apparent hamstring issue, and Watt’s undisclosed injury all costing them snaps, even if they did come back thereafter, there was a disjointed nature to the game that couldn’t be overlooked.
Still, Cam Heyward wouldn’t allow injuries or delays to be an excuse.
“Screw the delay, we should have been prepared,” Heyward said.
“Before the delays even happened, we were down 17-3. We had already dug ourselves a hole.”
Tomlin chose to place the blame squarely on himself and his players for the sloppy performance.
“That was a horrible day at the office. We didn’t do much right in that game, to be quite honest with you. So we’ve got to own that.
Obviously, starting first and foremost with me,” added Tomlin.
“We need look no further than the mirror.”
And now, with just four days before a visit from the Patriots – also 2-10 – the Steelers must deal with injuries on top of the poor performance.
“We are on a short week,” said quarterback Mitch Trubisky. “Quick turnaround, have to flush it, (and) be more detailed this week.”