The Steelers were worse than the final score showed.
With chants of “we want Kenny” raining down on him, quarterback Mitch Trubisky and the Steelers offense looked disjointed for all but one drive of the game, as Pittsburgh lost 17-14 in the home opener to the New England Patriots.
It didn’t have the same feeling as a Tom Brady vs. Ben Roethlisberger game, but it was the result that was the same with the Pats besting the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.
The offense couldn’t get anything going with a lot of check down passes, like last season, when a 39-year-old, immobile Roethlisberger would get rid of the ball quickly, with a bad offensive line unable to block.
It seemed a lot like 2021 for much of the game except a more mobile Trubisky was under center, though he didn’t run much. He had one run for seven yards.
Matt Canada’s conservative play calling resulted in Najee Harris leading the way in rushing yards with 49 on 15 carries, Diontae Johnson had six catches for 57 yards and rookie George Pickens continued to be under-utilized with one catch for 23 yards. He was frequently open during the game but not targeted.
The lack of T.J. Watt, currently on injured reserve, showed heavily during the game. The Steelers had zero sacks on Patriots quarterback Mac Jones and hardly any pass rush.
The Patriots were able to throw over the middle of the field all day and killed the Steelers on several 3rd downs.
The problems are many for the Steelers, poor offensive play calling, bad decision making from Trubisky, hardly any pass run from the defense and keep in mind, this is not your normal New England Patriots team.
They are very mediocre and that’s not a good sign going into a short week Thursday against the Cleveland Browns.
The one good drive for the Steelers was toward the end of the third quarter, getting the running game going with a big jet sweep from Gunner Olszewski for 18-yards. They finally scored a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter
Patriots quarterback Mac Jones giftwrapped an interception for the Steelers, but Cam Sutton dropped the ball. It was a missed play that would prove costly.
The Patriots were forced to punt, but returner Olszewski dropped the ball late in the third quarter after it bounced off his helmet, giving New England excellent field position. They would convert a few players later for a touchdown, giving them a 17-6 lead. While the Steelers would make it interesting, it was a game-changing mistake.
Many are calling for Kenny Pickett to get his chance, but if the play calling continues to be this conservative from Canada, it might not make a difference who the quarterback it. But, it should also be noted that Trubisky’s instincts were bad, missing open receivers and throwing into double and triple coverage at times.
Without T.J. Watt wreaking on defense and an offense in disarray, the Steelers need to change things quickly, or it’s going to be a very long season.