Mike Tomlin is tired of losing.
He pledged improvements after the Pittsburgh Steelers lost their third straight game, 30-13, in Indianapolis on Saturday. Tomlin did not disclose specifics following another awful offensive performance, but it appears that Pittsburgh will have a new starting quarterback next week at Cincinnati.
“Everything is on the table at this point. “We can’t keep playing football like this,” said Tomlin, the Steelers’ 17-year coach who has never finished with a losing record. “We must make changes immediately. We’re not going to do the same thing next week as we did today.”
The most straightforward remedy could be the return of quarterback Kenny Pickett, who helped the Steelers stay in the playoff race while heading one of the NFL’s lowest-scoring offenses. He has missed the past two games due to a sprained right ankle. Tomlin has suggested that Pickett could return next week.
If he can’t go, Tomlin must decide whether to stick with Mitch Trubisky, who has started Pittsburgh’s last two games, or give Mason Rudolph a shot after replacing Trubisky late against the Colts.
Trubisky went 16-of-23 for 169 yards. He completed one touchdown throw, two interceptions, and was sacked three times. He also scored on a 1-yard plunge that was first declared a fumble but was reversed after a replay review.
After building a 13-0 lead in the opening 16 minutes, with one score coming after the Steelers recovered a blocked punt inside the Colts 1-yard line, Pittsburgh had only one more scoring opportunity — and Tomlin chose to punt instead of attempting a 56-yard field goal.
The Steelers accumulated 216 total yards, including 74 on the ground. Najee Harris carried 12 times for 33 yards.
Rudolph has started two games in four seasons, losing 24-22 to Cleveland in the 2021 season finale and tying 16-16 with Detroit in 2022. He was 2 of 3 for 3 yards on Saturday.
However, with the Steelers falling to last place in the tough AFC North and their scoring average slipping to 15.9 points per game, it’s evident they need to change direction.
“We don’t have the answers right now, but we’re going to find them,” Trubisky said in an interview. “We’re going to work tirelessly at it, we’re going to come together, and our leaders have to step up.”
While the offense is the most obvious difficulty, there are additional concerns.
Pittsburgh’s defense allowed Gardner Minshew to throw three touchdown passes and surrendered 170 yards rushing to a backfield missing 2021 league rushing champion Jonathan Taylor and its leading rusher this season, Zack Moss, who left with a right arm injury after carrying four times for 13 yards.
Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson gained 157 running yards on 28 combined carries. Both spent the most of the season on Indy’s practice squad, as did receiver D.J. Montgomery, whose 16-yard touchdown catch gave Indy a 14-13 lead right before halftime.
The Colts scored the final thirty points.
“You are playing losing football. When asked to summarize Tomlin’s postgame remark, cornerback Patrick Peterson replied, “You aren’t playing well enough to win.” “It’s clear for us right now: how important is it to you? “The road (to the playoffs) is narrowing.”
As Pittsburgh enters its last three weeks, finding a way to score points — with or without Pickett — is Tomlin’s top objective.
The Steelers have scored less than 20 points in five straight games and more than 20 only once in the last eight. Firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada in mid-November made little difference.
Trubisky, the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2017, had his chances in the last two weeks and lost both.
“Let’s be honest: we’re a fundamentally awful football team right now. “We’re playing losing football, and I accept that,” Tomlin stated. “I don’t have all the answers today. If I had, we would have played differently today. But I understand that things will not continue as they are.”
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