The Pittsburgh Steelers came out of Sunday’s divisional clash with the Cincinnati Bengals the victor in a 23-20 thriller. The defense came to play in this one, sacking Joe Burrow seven times and forcing five turnovers, one of which was an interception return TD by S Minkah Fitzpatrick. The offense, on the other hand, struggled to get anything going in the contest, failing to surpass 200 yards through the air and 75 yards on the ground.
When asked about how he would evaluate Mitch Trubisky’s first regular season start in a Steelers uniform, Tomlin kept his answer short and sweet.
“He did not blink,” Tomlin said regarding Trubisky to the media in the post-game press conference which aired live on the team’s YouTube channel. “Made the necessary plays in the weighty moments. I’m appreciative of his efforts.”
Trubisky finished the game going 21/38 (55%) for 194 yards and a TD with no INTs. Trubisky did well to start the game, taking what the defense was giving him and put together a nice drive that ended with a pass to Najee Harris in the flat for the TD to put Pittsburgh up 17-3 in the second quarter.
However, after that drive, Trubisky’s play appeared to drop off as he saw his completion percentage drop considerably and he missed intended targets high and outside. He also seemed to have blinders on at times, locking onto one target down the field rather than locating the open man.
Still, Trubisky managed to take care of the football and didn’t commit any turnovers on a day where Joe Burrow accounted for five on the opposite sideline. As Mike Tomlin has said many times, “Style points don’t matter in football.” That statement directly applied to Trubisky and the Pittsburgh Steelers today as they did just enough to come out of Cincinnati with the win thanks to a game-winning kick from Chris Boswell as time expired in overtime. Pittsburgh will look for improved play from its offense and its starting QB next week as they welcome the New England Patriots at home.
