Patriots (Immediate Reaction)
It stinks. The Steelers lost last night. The Steelers lost for the second time at home in 5 days. Yes, it stinks; however, I am not going to get caught up in the records of the opponents, the current record of this team, or the continued waved of negativity around this team. The Steelers are 7-6, have 4 games left, they have a mini bye to address a few key issues, they have a much more important game next week at Indianapolis.
The concerning elements of last night include the defensive line, the secondary that is not named Fitzpatrick or Porter, and the opposite ILB position that is often tased with covering tight ends. These things will, and have lost games for the Steelers this season.
Mitch played ok for Mitch. There is a reason that currently in his career he is a QB2. His turnovers, and especially his two turnovers in the last two games, have been the definition of costly. However, you get what you sign up for with Mitch. I was not expecting or hoping he would set the world on fire last night, and he didn’t. He needs to be a little bit better, and take care of the football in the next 2 games (my prediction of how many games he will start), and the Steelers need to win both games.
As I mentioned throughout this week, the AFC playoff picture is not yet set. My prediction is that the Steelers will still be in the 5, 6, or 7th spot by the end of the weekend. I am rooting for Jacksonville, Cincinnati, and the Jets. If all three teams win, the Steelers are still # 5, and only if all three lose are the Steelers out of the playoff seeding.
There is time. Mike Tomlin said last night that they will prepare for the next opportunity because, “that is who we are, its what we do.”
I usually watch the post game press conferences and I was particularly struck by Captain Cam Heyward’s interview. He laid out exactly what needs to get better: execution on the player level. He was most critical of his defense and the mistakes that were made to allow 21 points in the first half of that game. He owned it, took the blame and would not allow the reporters to bait him into blaming the offense. He discussed his mentality on how to improve and “get right” in the next 4 games. If you want to feel positive, listen to Cam and know that the Steelers have not given up, neither should we as a fanbase.
Despite a lot of feelings to the contrary, the season is not over. There are 4 games left. Last season the Steelers ended winning four straight. They can do that this year as well.
Check out the podcast this week as I will be taking a deep dive into why I am optimistic about Kenny Pickett going foward!
Go Steelers.