Following the high ankle sprain and subsequent surgery to QB Kenny Pickett, the Pittsburgh Steelers have turned to veteran backup Mitch Trubisky. His first start this season was not good enough and he was outplayed by the New England Patriots’ inexperienced second-year QB Bailey Zappe.
Head coach Mike Tomlin spoke to the media on Monday ahead of the Steelers’ critical Saturday matchup against the Indianapolis Colts and discussed Trubisky’s play.
“I thought Mitch picked up his play as the game wore on,” Tomlin said during his press conference posted on the team’s YouTube page. “I thought that that is a reasonable expectation for him to be even better. Because of that experience and because of the experience of having a full week’s prep this week in preparation for the performance. In-helmet reps and things of that nature, full speed reps. Excited about that component of it.”
With Pickett ruled out again this week, there was some speculation as to whether the Steelers would turn to veteran backup QB Mason Rudolph moving forward. Given Tomlin’s comments on expecting Trubisky to get better and improve with a full week of preparation, it can be inferred that there will be no change at quarterback against the Indianapolis Colts.
Trubisky threw the ball 35 times, completing 22 of his attempts for 190 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The interception came at a critical moment as the Patriots were set up with excellent field position and scored to make it an 11-point game early. He had at least two or three more passes that could have been intercepted, including one that was picked off but called back due to a penalty.
Pickett was initially estimated to miss between two to four weeks following his surgery. The Steelers find themselves in a multi-way tie at 7-6 with temporary ownership of the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs. The Colts game is highly important in that race due to the tiebreaker implications. Trubisky has an opportunity to greatly improve his play against a much easier defense. The Patriots have one of the best scoring defenses in the league while the Colts are the fourth worst, allowing 25.4 points per game.
