As the final seconds of the Pittsburgh Steelers loss at Philadelphia ticked away, I couldn't help but think about that scene from The Hangover where Ed Helms's character wakes up in the Caesars suite... head foggy from the night before, room spinning, tooth missing, and no real recollection of the prior nights events... sans the bengal tiger waiting in the bathroom, but you get the picture.
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
So how did the Steelers manage to end up 2-6? Can you pinpoint one exact moment in time that defines the team's worst start since 2003 when the club also began 2-6? We can certainly look at a few of the lowlights on this bye week, so let's take a not so enjoyable trip down memory lane!
The Crushing Loss Of DPOY TJ Watt To A Week 1 Peck Injury
Pittsburgh Steelers Edge Rusher T.J. Watt following a play. Watt secured an underwhelming 96 overall rating in Madden 23. CREDIT | NBCSPORTS
A season is not just one game, certainly the season-opener and a team is composed of 53 men on a roster, but to say the loss of TJ Watt at the very end of regulation in the season lid-lifter at Cincinnati didn't have a major impact on this team would cause me to wonder if you need psychological help. One player off a roster shouldn't throw a team into shambles, but this one clearly did. All Watt did in nearly 60 minutes of destruction to the Bungals was register 6 tackles, all solo and of which three were for a loss. He had a sack of Joe Burrow and oh yeah, an INT in the 1st quarter. The defense overall feasted on Burrow, tallying 7 sacks in all.
It took the Steelers seven full games to match that total from Week 1.
So yeah, losing TJ Watt, a devastating blow to the club. One that didn't record a sack in three games and just one in a fourth. You hate to think of the what could have been if Watt had played in games against the Patriots, Jets and Dolphins. All close games, all winnable for the Steelers if Watt had been available.
But he wasn't. So dwelling does no good.
Steelers QB Carousel Causes Confusion And Carnage
Steelers quarterbacks Kenny Pickett (#8) and Mitch Trubisky (#10) at Acrisure Stadium before a 2022 preseason game. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
This one needs a much deeper dive than what I'm about to deliver, so I'm going to just stick to the main points. For starters, this became a no-win situation for Mitch Trubisky once the Steelers saw Kenny Pickett fall to the 20th spot in April's NFL Draft. For all the talk of being high on Liberty QB Malik Willis, when no QB's got taken to that point, the Steelers were compelled to act. Given how things played out in 2004 when Ben Roethlisberger fell to 7, this was a golden moment you don't get all that often as the Steelers success over 18 years didn't afford them chances like this. But that's the spoils of having a 1st ballot HOF QB.
Once the Pickett selection was made, you had a conundrum on your hands. You get Trubisky in the off-season from Buffalo. A 4-year starter in the league at Chicago, an All-Pro in year two. An above .500 winning record as a starter on top of that to come in and pilot your team while you prep an incumbent who's learning the ropes. And for that, all Mitch heard was 'start KP now' from just about anyone with a voice, talk-show, column or social media space. A true recipe for disaster.
What made matters worse was during the preseason, all three QB's played well. Mostly against guys bagging groceries now, but it just made things worse. Once the season began, it was as if there was a running clock above Trubisky's head as the media and fans waited for it to strike zero and the emergence of Pickett, one that happened in Week 4 vs. the Jets. What's changed since then? The only win came vs. Tampa Bay and Trubisky came in to play that entire 2nd half due to a concussion Pickett suffered. The rookie has struggled quite a bit and it has people wondering.
But that leads us to our 3rd and final headstone on a very dead 1st half of play.
Embatled OC Matt Canada And The Steelers Offensive Direction
Steelers offensive coordinator, Matt Canada and head coach Mike Tomlin on the field at Acrisure Stadium | Credit: Matt Freed/Post-Gazette
Am I breaking any real news here? I can't begin to overstate what I've written, let alone the vast swath of countless other pundits that cover the Steelers have said regarding Matt Canada. This story, the utter chaos of how bad this offense has been since the season started, the lack of deep middle throws, execution and play calling has baffled many. Mike Tomlin, who's now facing the first real true test of his coaching tenure, as crazy as that is to write, he's never had a season start this poor. Nothing close. He's missed the playoffs five times, but never has he been faced with a re-build like the one he's got on his hands.
And yet, Tomlin speaks of 'all options' and executes on nothing. His standard is the stander is nothing more than empty words that are falling on deaf ears. Canada aside, Mike Tomlin is the man in charge and by all accounts, is only out-ranked by one man in the organization, that being Art Rooney II. With an unwillingness to change anything at this point, Tomlin sees fit to fiddle as the South Side burns.
So what lies ahead with 9 games remaining? Clearly nothing is going to change on the offensive side of things. The team did deal Chase Claypool this week. So that's something in terms of getting a 2nd round pick for the 2023 draft. TJ Watt should return next week as the team has the New Orleans Saints on deck. By the metrics, the Steelers did have the hardest schedule to begin the season. The 2nd half features not just the Saints, but the Colts, Raiders and Panthers, all sub-.500 teams. Atlanta is 4-4. You have a win over the Bengals already, leaving the Browns and Ravens twice.
So what will the final nine weeks bring Steelers fans? Sound off with predictions below!
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