The Steelers have lost to two of the worst teams at home in back-to-back weeks. Many fans had circled these two weeks as a potential break stretch. The Patriots and Cardinals were seen as easy teams, and while a Thursday night game is never great, it does provide a mini-bye week.
Instead, the Steelers lost both games and now enter the final stretch of games in a desperate state. There were no excuses for this week. It was pathetic, just like the Cardinal's loss was. Here are the winners and losers from this disaster against the Patriots.
Steelers winners
Elandon Roberts
The Steelers' defense was mostly a disaster, but Elandon Roberts has stuck out as a bright spot over the past few weeks. He is a stout run defender and was even a critical element of the interception for this defense. He has risen to the occasion in the wake of injuries and has been a huge help to this team.
Miles Killebrew
I had him on the loser list last week for penalties, but Miles Killebrew shined this week when he was called upon. Another blocked punt was huge in getting this team back in contention this week. He has been an impact player on special teams which is just what he is paid to do.
Steelers losers
Mykal Walker
To be fair, the expectation wasn’t for Mykal Walker to be a primary starter for this defense, but injuries have forced him into the lineup. He is constantly getting picked on by offenses and has played poorly in coverage. The team needs to find another option here, as Walker hasn’t been able to hold his own.
Mitch Trubisky
Mitch Trubisky is one of the highest-paid backup quarterbacks in the league, but he couldn’t do enough to lead this offense. To be fair, he wasn’t a huge step below Kenny Pickett, but he had a poorly-timed interception and didn’t consistently lead this team. It was a poor showing for the veteran passer.
The coaches
All around, horrible. From coming into the game with another timid approach to having horrible playcalling, this team looked uninspired and defeated long before the time ran out. It was embarrassing to watch the Steelers, and the coaches have to take a lot of the blame. The standard has fallen so far, and this staff gave us a pair of pathetic games to stew on for the next week.
It was a disappointing showing for this team once again, and things seem to be in a bit of a free fall. Can the Steelers recover and make the playoffs? Things seem grim right now, and this team looks like a disaster.