Thursday night was one for the record books. And not the kind of mark the Pittsburgh Steelers wanted to set. They became the first team in NFL history to lose back-to-back games to teams eight games under .500, dropping Sunday’s contest to the 2-10 Arizona Cardinals before falling to the 2-10 New England Patriots Thursday night.
It leaves the Steelers with an extended rest, not playing for another nine days. And leaves them searching for answers.
For TE Pat Freiermuth, he doesn’t know what the fix is. On paper, the Steelers have talent. They’ve won games. And if anyone was overlooking the Cardinals, they sure didn’t make the same mistake to the Patriots.
So what’s the answer? Freiermuth would love to know.
“Don’t know,” he said when asked what the team’s missing link is, as tweeted by freelance reporter Amanda Godsey.
Pittsburgh’s offense was again unable to put up points, held to just 18 in Thursday’s loss to the Patriots. On a per-game scoring basis, the Steelers are on track to have their worst season since 1970, Chuck Noll’s second year coaching the team. Held under 20 points in four straight games, if they make it five straight next Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts, it’ll be the first time that’s happened since 1969.
Freiermuth’s feeling likely exists throughout the locker room. Players might feel good about the game plan and confident in the ability to execute. Then they hit the field, and it all falls apart. FS Minkah Fitzpatrick has made it clear the Steelers’ problems go beyond just the playbook, calling out their effort and mentality in the strongest terms.
The Steelers could always bounce back. It’s football and Pittsburgh has a tendency of flipping the script. Lose when you expect them to win and win when you count them out. But this team seems to be at a low point, even lower than last year at the bye week when they sat at 2-6. This was a team in prime position to make the playoffs and entered the year with big expectations. They’ve squandered their chances. And they’re not even sure how to fix it.
