Blame Starts at the Top for Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in a very uncomfortable situation, now sitting at 1-3 as their losing streak was extended to three games after falling to the New York Jets in Week 4.
Just like last season, Pittsburgh is off to a frigid start to the new campaign as they currently sit in the basement of the AFC North standings. No one likes losing. Frustration is surely mounting in the locker room as everyone continues to search for answers on how to keep this season from completely derailing off the train tracks. Maybe one of those answers lies in the hands of the quarterback inserted at halftime against the Jets.
There's plenty of blame to go around which is almost always the case when your record is this poor. As the leader of the group, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin bears a lot of responsibility for the disappointing on-field product thus far. A portion of the fan base will blame the coach for losses while giving little credit during wins which is certainly not fair nor sensical. But Tomlin deserves some heat for the way he handled the past ten periods following the Week 3 loss against the Cleveland Browns.
After the Steelers lost to the Browns, they were among the worst in the league in pretty much every important offensive category which led to many, including myself, to agree that it's time to insert the team's first-round quarterback into the fold. Except Tomlin didn't agree with that notion whatsoever, or at least that's the message he was conveying to the media.
Here is what Tomlin said:
"Largely I’m seeing improvements at all areas, whether it’s individuals or whether it’s the collective and so it’s our job to tune out the noise and remain committed to the path that we’re on."
There were flashes of life against the Browns but certainly not enough to warrant remaining on the same path that they were headed down. Off ten days of rest, Tomlin trotted Mitch Trubisky out there once again against the Jets only for him to be benched at halftime.
Trubisky wasn't completely as awful as his stat line indicated as his lone interception went off the hands of his top receiver, Diontae Johnson. However, the offense still struggled under his command, looking lifeless as they had through much of the first several weeks of the season. Through two quarters, they mustered up just six points and three drives that ended without manufacturing a first down.
After halftime, to the joys of about 66,000 Steelers fans, Kenny Pickett finally strapped up his helmet and entered the game for the first time. Tomlin cited the need for a "spark" when clarifying his decision. A decision that can't really be questioned due to the struggles of the unit up to that point.
Pickett provided a spark, running in multiple touchdowns from short yardage but made a couple of costly errors which is often the case with young signal callers. His deep ball to Chase Claypool was underthrown but catchable, yet ended in an unfortunate interception. The second of his three interceptions was a dangerous pass to Pat Freiermuth which was also catchable but intercepted as well.
That's a tough spot to put a rookie in, inserted into the game in the blink of an eye while asked to lead the team from behind. All of which could have been avoided if Tomlin would have made this decision last week.
Pickett could have had a full ten days of notice with plenty of practice with the first-team offense while Matt Canada could attempt to devise a game plan around the rookie's strengths and weaknesses. If nothing else, Acrisure Stadium would have exploded as he was introduced out of the tunnel. If you were looking for a spark, there it was, sitting in a number 8 jersey on the sideline.
Tomlin isn't the only leader on the team deserving of criticism either. Defensive captain Cam Heyward is off to an absurdly slow start to the season which is the opposite of what the Steelers needed with T.J. Watt on the sideline with an injury.
The offensive line's have been able to slide protection his way during Watt's absence but he's been far too quiet and not nearly as disruptive for someone of his caliber.
Entering Week 4's matchup with New York, here were Heyward's numbers so far on the season according to Sports Info Solutions:
1 sack
6 pressures
3 QB hits
7.1% pressure rate
Week 4 wasn't much better as he totaled three total tackles but was largely a non-factor in the game against an offensive line that was playing Tetris just to field five healthy players. He was held without a sack or hit on the quarterback for the third week in a row. Heyward's rate of pressure is down nearly 3.3% from last season alone with the majority of his production so far this season coming against bad competition in Bengals rookie left guard Cordell Volson. He holds a $17.4M cap hit which is the highest on the team this season, a number that will jump up to $22.26M next season.
Heyward's not been nearly impactful enough to keep the defense afloat during Watt's absence and those are reasonable expectations given his contract and the phenomenal player that he's been for this Steelers team in the past. It was just a couple of months ago that Heyward was explaining that he felt he was on the same level as Aaron Donald. That level of confidence is expected from elite athletes, but so far, he hasn't been able to back up that claim.
Many are speculating that father time has come calling but it's far too small of a sample size to go there just yet. Heyward still possesses one of the most powerful bull rush moves in all of football. And to be fair, he hasn't looked "bad" by any stretch of the imagination. It's just that he's looked like just another solid player in the trenches, which is not what we have grown accustomed to seeing from No. 97 in black and gold.
If fans are still having these same doubts when the Bye Week rolls around, then maybe it's time to begin speculating if the end is nearing, but for now, he just needs to pick it up as the defense largely depends on it.
You don't need to be a football historian or a Pittsburgh native to understand what both Tomlin and Heyward have done for the city over the years. Both have been foundational building blocks for success over long periods of time. Both also deserve some criticism for the slow start. Those things can all be true but what matters most today is that they become the catalysts for change moving forward.
The Steelers inexplicably dropped three out of four in what was supposed to be the easy part of their schedule and now the gauntlet is here, starting with a trip to Buffalo next week.
It's hard to imagine Tomlin doing the unthinkable and planting Pickett back on the bench, so it's likely that the rookie's first start comes this week. Pickett did some good things, moving the ball at a higher clip than the offense had with Trubisky under center. There will be rookie mistakes but Pickett raises the ceiling of this team significantly which makes the move a no-brainer.
It would be nice to see Heyward get back on track as well. During last season's matchup against the Bills, Heyward registered his first sack of the season in the opener. The Steelers were able to pull off an improbable victory on the road, something they'll be searching for this week as well.
They opened as 14-point underdogs as they head to Buffalo, a staggering number that is basically uncharted territory for the Steelers franchise in modern history.
Mike Tomlin and Cam Heyward have helped the Steelers climb out of holes before but this is their toughest test yet. The schedule leading up to the Bye Week is brutal as their four opponents have combined for a 12-4 record. It doesn't make it any easier that three of the next four games come on the road.
What happens in the next month dictates whether the Steeles are in the mix for a playoff spot or looking forward to a top ten NFL Draft selection. Tomlin and Heyward will certainly be pushing for the former and if they accomplish that goal, they'll deserve plenty of praise for the bounce-back.
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