The Pittsburgh Steelers lost at home against the 2-10 Arizona Cardinals, something that Mike Tomlin’s teams have unfortunately made a habit of doing over his tenure. The team fell flat in all three phases. The offense couldn’t sustain drives, and when it did, it couldn’t finish with a touchdown. The defense allowed too much, including a 99-yard, 15-play touchdown drive. Special teams also had their issues with multiple impactful penalties that gave up field position.
Following the loss, many players were asked in the locker room if they had overlooked the Cardinals. Most of them felt that the week of preparation was good and that there was no overlooking the Cardinals. RB Jaylen Warren was the first to break from that narrative and say that perhaps the Steelers did take them lightly.
Now, WR Diontae Johnson joins that camp. In a tweet posted by 93.7 The Fan on X, Johnson had this to say.
“Once we got out there, I just felt like something was different. We wasn’t at our best. I felt like we just took them lightly than we should have. We can’t come in this Thursday with the same mindset.”
The Cardinals game followed a very positive week for the Steelers. They were fresh off putting up their first 400-yard performance on offense in years and holding the Cincinnati Bengals to 10 points in an AFC North victory. The win was much needed to cleanse the bad taste from their mouths from the disappointing loss the week before to the Cleveland Browns. It was something positive to build from, but they let that opportunity slip through their fingers with one of the worst losses in franchise history, all things considered. Both of the players that have expressed taking the Cardinals lightly are on the offensive side of the ball. With a recent coordinator change, and now a forced change at quarterback due to injury, the lack of continuity is a concern for the unit’s preparedness moving forward.
With a quick turnaround this week playing on Thursday Night Football, the coaches and the leaders in the locker room will need to take some of these sentiments to heart and get the team ready for another very winnable game. Though the New England Patriots are also 2-10, the Steelers proved that records do not matter. The NFL is any given Sunday (or Thursday) and another flat performance will put the team’s playoff hopes at risk.
