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.
2. George Pickens gave up on his teammates
On paper, George Pickens didn't have the worst game imaginable. The talented second-year receiver was able to reel in 3 of 7 targets for 47 yards (15.7 yards per catch), and some of these were passes deemed uncatchable. However, fans should have a beef with Pickens for his lackadaisical effort against the Colts in Week 16.
In addition to getting mossed by a Colts defensive back (it looked like there was some contact and Pickens may have mistimed his jump) the former second-round pick gave the most deplorable effort as a blocker you will ever see from an NFL wide receiver.
As Steelers running back Jaylen Warren found a crease and proceeded to burst into the open field toward the goal line, Pickens quite literally stood there and allowed the defender he should have been blocking to tackle Warren at the one-yard line. There is no question Warren would have scored with a better blocking effort from his wide receiver.
It wasn't just this one play either. Pickens refused to even give an effort on one high target intended for him, and his negative body language was once again on display for the world to see. Quite honestly, it looked like George Pickens gave up on his teammates, and we have enough reason to be concerned about his attitude at this point.
3. Mykal Walker doesn't belong on the Steelers roster
I don't want to come down too hard on Mykal Walker here. I know the former Falcons linebacker was put in a tough spot being asked to step into a big role on Pittsburgh's defense right away. However, the results have been as bad as you could imagine over the past several weeks.
After getting routinely exposed over the middle of the field in Week 13 by QB Kyler Murray, Walker looked just as bad in coverage against Bailey Zappe and the Patriots. This week against the Colts, Walker was once again a liability in pass coverage. He let receivers cross his face and allowed chunk plays after the catch.
Despite how much he saw the field and how often he was picked on in coverage, Walker somehow only managed to be involved in two tackles in this contest.
There are far better means of judging linebackers than by calculating how many tackles they make, but it's almost crazy that he couldn't make more plays with as many opportunities as he had to stop both the run and the pass. We now have a four-game sample of Mykal Walker in Pittsburgh, and his cringeworthy performance should have fans wishing we had Devin Bush back at this point. Walker probably doesn't belong on the Steelers roster.