It’s not the first time Patrick Peterson has said it. But hopefully, it’s the last. Echoing comments he made two weeks ago, Peterson wants this Pittsburgh Steelers team to develop a killer instinct. Put bad teams away, close out games, and not get rattled by injuries and wild circumstances that happen in-game, like two weather days that create the longest game in team history.
Coming off their ugly loss to the Arizona Cardinals, it’s clear the Steelers are still looking for it. On the latest episode of his All Things Covered podcast, Peterson discussed what the team needs to do.
“Their record saying that they’re a bad team, and we gotta show that their record is why it’s their record,” Peterson told co-host Bryant McFadden, referring to the Patriots. “We can’t have these guys hanging around. We gotta go out there and find a way to create that instinct, man. I think that’s something that we have to find within ourselves in the latter part of the season is that killer instinct.”
It’s a statement applicable to their upcoming opponent as well as their previous one, the Cardinals.
Arizona came into the game 2-10 and having won just one game since October. Although they had their starting quarterback back in Kyler Murray, this was a Cardinals team blown out by the Los Angeles Rams a week ago. Pittsburgh can cite their in-game injuries, and they played a factor, but Arizona entered this game without a starting wide receiver and two members of their secondary in addition to guys like WR Hollywood Brown and TE Trey McBride playing despite injuries that curtailed practice time. There’s no excuse for the Steelers’ loss. Just accountability and the need to move forward.
Pittsburgh will have a chance for redemption 48 hours from now when they take on the New England Patriots, who come into Acrisure Stadium with the same 2-10 mark the Cardinals have. While the Pats have a respectable defense, their offense is historically bad. Averaging 12.3 points per game, it’d be the worst seasonal output since the 2011 St. Louis Rams, who averaged 12.1. New England’s last three games have somehow been even worse, held to seven or fewer points. And they were shut out in Sunday’s 6-0 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. It marked the second time they’ve been held without a point, something that hasn’t happened twice in a season since 1992 when Bill Belichick was coaching for the Cleveland Browns and beat the Patriots that year 19-17. That’s how long ago it was.
For Peterson, a killer instinct means playing a complete game. And putting the Patriots away sooner rather than later. A loss to New England would drop Pittsburgh to 7-6 and potentially out of a playoff spot. Not to mention the emotional gut punch losing to a pair of 2-10 teams at home in back-to-back weeks would have.
“Like [former Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians] used to always tell us, good ball clubs, you don’t lose two in a row. And we damn sure can’t lose to two, 2-win teams.”
Peterson told McFadden, “That can’t happen,” when McFadden said the Steelers shouldn’t lose to Patriots QB Bailey Zappe, replacing Mac Jones as the team’s starting quarterback. On the year, Zappe has completed exactly half his attempts with zero touchdown passes, going 13-of-25 for 141 yards in Sunday’s loss.
The good news is Pittsburgh hasn’t lost back-to-back games this season. Peterson hopes that streak lives on.
“There’s no more time to be wasted…the margin of error is very, very small. If we have the desire to be what we envision ourselves being, we gotta create and grow a killer instinct.”
Check out the full episode below.
