Flavell's Five Thoughts: Trubisky Proved Us Wrong
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One short week ago, the Buffalo Bills dismantled the Pittsburgh Steelers and sent the fan base into a frenzy following their worst loss in decades.
A large portion of the fan base got loud with regards to Mike Tomlin’s job status. In classic Tomlin fashion following a bad loss, the Steelers put together a statement game in beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-18.
Pittsburgh was a heavy underdog again, this time at home, and no one expected them to play close in this one. They were missing five starters on defense including their top three cornerbacks and star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. It was expected that Brady would pick the defense apart like Josh Allen did last week. That didn’t happen.
Even Kenny Pickett exited the game due to a concussion and Mitch Trubisky had to come in and save the day and, wouldn’t you know, that’s exactly what he did.
Somehow, the Steelers escaped that game and now sit at 2-4 after six weeks and reside only one game out of the AFC North lead. While that isn’t much to be proud of, it means this Steelers season isn’t as dead as the public opinion makes it seem like.
Time to discuss this unlikely victory and give some thoughts on the game. Without further ado, let’s roll on forward.
Trubisky Deserves a Ton of Credit For His Performance
Pickett played well in the mauling last week and seemed poised to ride high into his first home NFL start. While Pickett didn’t make any glaring mistakes, he also wasn’t at his best today. With just 67 yards on 11 completions, the Steelers weren’t gaining many yards with him on the field.
He was instrumental on the first drive leading the Steelers down the field and throwing his first NFL touchdown to Najee Harris so he deserves credit for that. 37 of Pickett’s 67 yards came on that drive alone.
When Trubisky was called upon after Pickett’s unfortunate injury, it was evident that Trubisky felt looser than he previously had. He quite literally had nothing to lose. He already lost his starting job and the Steelers likely felt like Pickett’s injury might’ve sealed their fate in this game as well. Trubisky had other plans.
One of Trubisky’s first passes was a strike across the middle to Chase Claypool for 16 yards. The irony in this is that Trubisky spent the first 3 ½ games throwing to the perimeter of the field and on the few occasions he did throw between the hashes, it always seemed to work. Trubisky came out slinging it and racked up 144 yards in less than a half of football. The Steelers have to be pleased to see that Trubisky is capable of playing well if needed. Surely, Trubisky will take solace in knowing that he was able to throw the first touchdown pass to a wide receiver this season when he again found Claypool late in the fourth quarter.
Pickett’s status will be worth monitoring throughout the week and it surely will be interesting to see how everything plays out whether Pickett is healthy enough or not to come back in time for a primetime Sunday Night Football matchup against the Dolphins.
That Defense… Wow
It’s nearly unfathomable to think that the defense that dressed in black and gold today took down a quarterback that entered this game 12-3 against the Steelers in his career. But they truly took to the “next man up” mentality that Tomlin likes to use in that there shouldn’t be a drop off no matter who is out there replacing an injured player.
Well, when the top three cornerbacks are out, it’s fair to think that things aren’t going to go well for your team.
Tom Brady wasn’t his best today and made life easier on the Steelers but Josh Jackson, Arthur Maulet, and James Pierre deserve credit nonetheless. Brady ended with 243 yards and Mike Evans was shut down to the tune of just 42 yards. Truly astonishing.
Stopping the run has been an issue all season and surely would take a hit with DeMarvin Leal hitting the injured reserve, right? Well, the front seven were as good as they’ve been all year so far and held the Buccaneers rushing attack to just 75 yards on 26 attempts.
With Tua Tagovailoa expected to return for Miami next week, the Steelers would love to have their guys back. Expecting this unit to go another week of shutdown defense isn’t a recipe for success. Getting even half of the guys back would go a long way, especially with the quarterback’s status unclear.
Claypool Made Me Eat My Words
A few weeks ago, I went as far as saying that Chase Claypool is a bust. While one good game doesn’t change that, Sunday’s performance is more of what I had expected to see out of Claypool from time-to-time.
He hauled in all seven of his targets for 96 yards and made a great play on a not-so-great throw from Trubisky on the touchdown that ended up being the difference for the Steelers. He performed like a viable NFL receiver on Sunday and that’s all you can ask.
Sustaining that success regardless of whether the Steelers have Trubisky, Pickett, or Mason Rudolph at QB is what he needs to focus on. He won’t post near-100 yard games on a weekly basis but becoming completely invisible and only being used for gadget run plays isn’t what he was drafted in the second round to do.
I’d like to think the talent is there and I hope he continues to prove me wrong about the bust label. He took a step towards that in this game.
Where Was the Jaylen Warren Involvement?
Warren wasn’t given many chances with the ball Sunday. He only had two yards on as many carries but he did see his usual allotment of snaps in pass protection. The way that Tomlin had praised him, it seemed that Warren might have more plays called for him in this game. Maybe they didn’t feel comfortable doing so in such a close game but there’s no other way to build trust than get him involved.
Najee Harris didn’t have a bad game as he gained 42 yards rushing and and picked up another seven and a touchdown through the air on top of that. It wasn’t a measuring stick game but he was productive and helped melt time off the clock late when the Steelers needed it.
Harris is good at holding onto the football. Warren had a few fumbles in the preseason that surely had the coaches considering if it would be worth having the undrafted rookie break camp with them. Ultimately, he has and he works his tail off according to his head coach and other teammates.
Eventually, he will be rewarded. Harris isn’t at 100% right now either so giving Warren some more plays seems like a prudent idea. It will be interesting to see how his workload increases as the season wears on.
Just When You Think All is Bleak…
The Pittsburgh Steelers pull you back in. Many expected a 1-7 record at the bye week. There is still a good chance they’re 2-6 with a returning Tagovailoa and then a high-flying Eagles team awaiting them the next two weeks. But if the Steelers somehow go 2-2 across the hardest part of their schedule, a 3-5 overall record in a weak AFC North is not the worst hill to climb. They’ll likely get T.J. Watt back and hopefully a healthy Fitzpatrick as well.
If Pickett is healthy next Sunday, I’d assume he would start. I don’t know that 1 ½ good quarters from Trubisky should earn him the job back but if the organization feels that he gives them the best chance to win, is it possible he starts? Surely, it is.
It’s really wild how, just a week after being relegated from the NFL by the Bills, the Steelers were able to rise from the dead, take down a good Buccaneers team at home, and keep hope alive. It is only week six so the season isn’t over by any means. But the Steelers haven’t shown many signs that they can be a competitor in the league this season so posting a big time win and getting within a game of the AFC North lead is a big step.
Onward to Miami.
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