With the Pittsburgh Steelers leading 13-7 and driving at midfield, QB Mitch Trubisky went deep to WR George Pickens, and despite Pickens having the defensive back boxed out, Trubisky’s throw was high and intercepted by Indianapolis Colts S Nick Cross. After the game, Trubisky said that Pickens took a different angle than he was anticipating, which led to the contested throw and interception.
“It ended up being one-on-one. He kind of took a different angle than I was anticipating coming out and I tried to throw it to where I saw him last and give him a 50-50 shot on it. The other kid made a good play,” Trubisky said postgame via Steelers.com.
Trubisky clarified that it was Pickens, not the defender, who took a different angle than he thought. He said on his second interception, also intended for Pickens, that he just sailed it. That throw came with 5:57 left in the fourth quarter and the Steelers trying to drive, down 27-13. It was the last pass Trubisky would throw in the game, as he was replaced by QB Mason Rudolph after.
The first interception was a ball that Pickens probably should’ve had, even if he took a different angle. Trubisky did give him a chance at it and Pickens was in front of the defender, but he just couldn’t pull the ball in. The second interception was just an abysmal throw by Trubisky, and when you look at the play that ended the Steelers’ season, that might be one to point to.
The Steelers are a rudderless ship right now marred by bad quarterback play, and at 7-7, they’re currently 11th in the AFC playoff race. With how bad they’ve been playing in all phases, this doesn’t look like a team that will find a way to right the ship and make the playoffs. They jumped out to a 13-0 lead and then after Trubisky’s first interception, the offense didn’t do much of anything while the defense allowed 30 unanswered points.
It was a must-win game, and the Steelers didn’t even come close to winning it. Communication problems, like the one between Trubisky and Pickens that seemingly led to the first interception, just can’t happen, and it’s just emblematic of this team’s failures. There are a lot of plays you can point to today that show this is a bad football team, and Pickens not being able to make that catch and not being on the same page with Trubisky is one that can be added to the list.
The Steelers will now look ahead to a Week 16 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals in a last-ditch attempt to get their season on track. It feels like it’s too late, though.
