On a short week and against a great defense in the New England Patriots, things were a bit stacked against Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky in Week 14 at Acrisure Stadium.
His performance in the 21-18 loss to the Patriots certainly didn’t help matters either. He completed just 22-of-37 passes for 190 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Trubisky did add 30 rushing yards and a touchdown on eight carries, but he had two other turnover-worthy plays and largely struggled.
While it wasn’t all Trubisky’s fault, as Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger pointed out Tuesday regarding the Steelers’ scheme, he certainly didn’t help. It also didn’t help that Trubisky was booed early by the fans and heard the chants for backup quarterback Mason Rudolph in the first half.
Though he understood their frustration, that had to be hard to fight through. That he was able to push through that and play better in the second half earned him a lot of respect from former Steelers running back Merril Hoge, who appeared on the 102.5 WDVE Morning Show Wednesday.
Speaking with host Randy Baumann and co-hosts Mike Prisuta and Bill Crawford, Hoge was quite complimentary of Trubisky for the mental toughness he displayed and the leadership he showed after the loss.
“That dude fought through…they were booing him and they were chanting Mason Rudolph. …And he throws that pick, okay. The way he played and fought through that. I have enormous respect for him,” Hoge said of Trubisky, according to audio via DVE’s podcast page. “He showed me something from a character perspective and a mental perspective that I was like, a lot of people in that position would’ve crumbled. And when it wasn’t even his fault, keep in mind it wasn’t even his fault.”
The boos had to be rather frustrating to hear for Trubisky, even if he said he understood the frustration from fans. The boos rained down rather early Thursday night, which was a tough spot for Trubisky making his first start of the season and on a short week against a great defense.
It’s not as if he was going to step in and make the offense better just with his presence alone. He certainly didn’t help with his performance overall, but it wasn’t all his fault.
Hoge certainly went to bat for the veteran quarterback, stating that Trubisky didn’t throw his teammate — that being tight end Pat Freiermuth — under the bus for the interception in the first half on a route that Freiermuth “quit” on in Hoge’s eyes and displayed real leadership qualities after the game for how he handled questions from the media.
“And he put that in a position where [Freiermuth] probably would’ve had a chance to catch it. It sure wasn’t gonna be an interception. And then to the credit of a leader, he did not throw his teammate under the bus. That’s not his job,” Hoge said of Trubisky. “His job is to throw it. And when you lose, it is about you. It’s not about other people, and [he] followed that model perfectly.
“I had a lot to like the way he played throughout that game. That kid deserves a lot of credit because he was getting beat up and it wasn’t even his fault, you know?”
Trubisky has caught a ton of flak in his two seasons in Pittsburgh, that much is true. He was put in a tough spot after the Steelers drafted the hometown product in Kenny Pickett in the first round in the 2022 NFL Draft, just one month after Trubisky was signed in free agency as the clear-cut starter for the Black and Gold.
Being the guy ahead of the hometown guy was difficult as every mistake that Trubisky made was amplified, especially as fans clamored for Pickett. They ultimately got their wish, but Trubisky has been nothing but professional, a great teammate in the locker room and a guy capable of stepping into the lineup at a moment’s notice to at least give the Steelers a chance.
He still has issues with turning the football over, something Pickett doesn’t do, but there is no denying his preparation and leadership. Hoge saw it coming out of the loss against the Patriots.
