While it’s not yet set in stone, it does appear likely that the Pittsburgh Steelers will be without starting QB Kenny Pickett for at least one game. We should assume that Mitch Trubisky will be starting this one—and looking to redeem himself against the Baltimore Ravens after his ugly outing against them last year.
While he moved the ball well in that game, he was unfortunately so successful that it didn’t matter to which team he completed passes. While he was 22-for-30 throwing to Steelers, he also added another three completions to Ravens. Still, they are preparing for his best.
“We’ve played against Mitch before”, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters yesterday, via the team’s website. “Obviously, he’s a heck of a player, and he can make all the plays and all the throws that their offense requires. So, [he’s a] very dangerous player, and we’ll have our hands full, and we’ll be ready”.
While his three interceptions proved fatal and are inexcusable—he admitted after the game that he was staring his receivers down—it should be remembered that the offense was otherwise successful on the day and looked even competent at times.
In fact, let’s take a look back at that game. Trubisky took over on the third drive and promptly led the Steelers to a touchdown after a Pickett-led offense managed one first down and 21 net yards on its first two possessions, ending in punts.
Three of the next four possessions ended in interceptions, the other in a punt, but all of them reached Ravens territory. The first two reached field goal range, including one in the red zone, picking up 11 total first downs between the four.
In fact, of Trubisky’s seven total possessions at the helm, the offense moved the ball 40-plus yards six times. That’s actually very impressive. Of course, the problem is that three of them ended in interceptions, all of which were avoidable. Pittsburgh ended up losing by two—and one of Trubisky’s possessions featured a missed field goal.
Trubisky threw for 276 yards, completing nearly two-thirds of his passes (to his own receivers), averaging over nine yards per pass attempt, with one touchdown. With that being said, he did have Diontae Johnson, who caught six passes for 82 yards, and Pat Freiermuth, who caught three for 33 and a touchdown.
He played well the following week when he started for Pickett, who was out with a concussion. Although he didn’t throw a touchdown pass in that game and largely functioned as a field general (the offense had three rushing touchdowns, including one by Trubisky), he was again in command. He completed 17-of-22 pass attempts for 179 yards, averaging more than eight yards per attempt, and he protected the football.
If this is the Trubisky the Ravens get—minus the interceptions—then the Steelers may have something. Then again, the way the offense has looked this year, it’s hard to get your hopes up. His having a full week to prepare as a starter, however, should help.
