The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, 24-10. There have been a lot of brutal losses over the last few years, but this game is at or near the top of that list. The Steelers had multiple injuries to key players, a handful of key penalties, and then some sloppy play to make matters worse.
One of the biggest culprits of the sloppy play was C Mason Cole. He had multiple low snaps. One killed a drive on 3rd and short while the other was fumbled and turned over to the Cardinals to give them the ball in scoring position.
“No issues, except me,” Cole told reporters via a quote from his postgame locker room media session posted by Mike DeFabo of The Athletic on X. “It’s unacceptable. I’ve got to fix it.”
In the first quarter, on the Steelers’ second offensive drive, they got into a 3rd-and-2 scenario on their own 37-yard line. Cole snapped the ball too low, and Pickett was quickly downed by defenders while recovering the ball. This forced the Steelers to punt and gave the Cardinals their first scoring drive of the game, one that ended with a 51-yard field goal.
Then, on their first offensive drive of the second half, Cole snapped the ball low once again. This time, QB Mitch Trubisky couldn’t get it back and the Cardinals recovered with great field position to get their second touchdown of the game. Low snaps have been a noted issue for Cole throughout his tenure in Pittsburgh, so it was just a matter of time before it came back to bite the team. It was a rainy day, and the weather didn’t make it easier on Cole, but the mishaps in big moments must be corrected.
Along with the snapping issues, Cole was stood up on the 4th-and-goal attempt for the Steelers. His lack of push made it impossible for Najee Harris to find a path to the end zone, and the Steelers turned the ball over on downs. The Cardinals would go on a 99-yard drive for their first touchdown of the game.
