There was nothing pretty about the Pittsburgh Steelers' performance against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday. Knowing what was on the line, this team struck first in Week 15 -- jumping out to a 13-0 lead. However, the Colts scored 30 unanswered points in what turned out to be a three-score loss for Pittsburgh.
There are plenty of fingers to point and blame to be passed around. The interior defensive line was rag-dolled as they allowed Indianapolis to rush for 170 yards on 5.0 yards per carry, while the pass defense nearly aided Colts' QB Gardner Minshew to a perfect game.
This team should be ashamed of their all-around efforts, but these three Steelers players should be the most embarrassed when they sit down and put the film back on with their teammates and coaches ahead of Week 16.
1. Mitch Trubisky continues to blow his opportunities
When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Mitch Trubisky to a contract extension this past offseason, fans were hopeful that he could be a quality insurance policy in the event of an injury to Kenny Pickett. Heck, some fans thought he might even be an upgrade over Pittsburgh's starting quarterback. That hasn't been the case.
Trubisky has gotten some favorable opportunities when called upon in 2023 but continues to disappoint. Against the Colts in Week 15, Trubisky completed 16 of 23 passes for a mere 169 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions, via ESPN stats. Mitch had another erred pass that was close to being taken for six by a Colts defender the other way.
This sad performance resulted in a 68.9 passer rating and a 31.7 QBR for the veteran quarterback. What's worse is that it resulted in just 13 points on the board for the Steelers -- all of which came in the first 16 minutes of action.
Trubisky has now lost head-to-head matchups in back-to-back weeks against Bailey Zappe and Gardner Minshew, and his team at one time trailed by at least 18 points in both games. It's hard to argue that he's even an above-average backup in the NFL at this point.