The Pittsburgh Steelers failed miserably against the Indianapolis Colts in a must-win game. They started off the game up 13-0, and then allowed 30 unanswered points to fall to 7-7 on the season. With the playoffs nearly out of reach, the Steelers are searching for answers.
Head coach Mike Tomlin, while speaking to the media to after Pittsburgh’s third straight loss, was asked if the Steelers will be changing the way they prepare or the personnel they have out on the field.
“Everything’s on the table at this juncture,” Tomlin said in a video posted on the Steelers’ YouTube page. “We can’t play football like that.”
It remains to be seen what changes he could be referring to. With QB Kenny Pickett still nursing an ankle injury, Tomlin pulled the ripcord and benched Mitch Trubisky in favor of Mason Rudolph with just over two minutes remaining in the game. If Pickett isn’t available, it is a real possibility to see Rudolph starting next week against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“I don’t have answers as I sit here right now,” Tomlin continued. “I know that we better do some things differently. We better approach some things differently. We’re not gonna roll that ball out there like that next week.”
While the offense performed poorly outside of the second drive, the defense was exposed throughout the game by QB Gardner Minshew II and the Colts’ running game. Without RB Jonathan Taylor available, the Colts had Zack Moss, Trey Sermon, and Tyler Goodson. Moss exited the game early with an injury suffered while scoring a touchdown, and the Colts’ running game still found success. If you fall behind and cannot stop the run, that’s a recipe for disaster and that is exactly what played out.
After the Steelers punted in the third quarter while trailing 11 points, the Colts strung together a 15-play field goal drive to make it a 14-point game. The first 13 plays of that drive were runs by Goodson or Sermon. The Steelers’ defense had no answers, ensuring a loss for the team.
“We’re a fundamentally poor football group right now,” Tomlin said. “We’re playing losing football, and I take responsibility for that.”
The Steelers did not protect the football, did not take the football away, and did not stay clean on the penalty sheet. Trubisky tossed two interceptions and the Steelers had eight penalties for 101 yards. The inability to play fundamentally sound football has plagued this team throughout the season, but it really reared its ugly head tonight.
With this loss, the Steelers’ playoff chances have plummeted to single digits. The playoff path ahead is narrow, but this team has more important issues to handle. At this rate, the team might have a hard time winning another game and, as Tomlin said, “everything’s on the table.”
