Steelers - Patriots: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

Story by Yinzer Crazy Steelers Contributor Noah Nichols. Follow him on Twitter @_NoahNichols

Last week, we all stood in shock as the Steelers managed to pull a win out of what looked like a hopeless situation. This week, we are all looking at a Steelers team that is dangerously close to losing hope… particularly on the offensive side of the football. 

With a short week, let's break down the issues (and a few positives) that became apparent on Sunday, as the Steelers prepare for the Browns. 

The Ugly - what didn't go wrong?

While saying “what didn’t” is cliche, it’s also dangerously close to the truth. Najee Harris didn’t look great and may need to sit out a week or two to heal from his Lisfranc injury fully. The offensive line was neither atrocious nor good, which I might be okay with, provided the rest of the offense is performing up to standard. That was not the case Sunday, and when the Steelers offense is at its low, the offensive line issues come to the front and center.

The Steelers offense as a whole, including coordinator Matt Canada, was very lackluster. While most of the players seem to be indirectly blaming Canada, with Diontae Johnson, Mitch Trubisky, and Chase Claypool all stating they can only run the plays that are called - it’s not just Canada. I understand the fanbase frustration with Canada, and he certainly did nothing to increase his favor yesterday.

But when his quarterback won’t throw anything deep, keeps the ball for too long, and struggles to read the field, well, it's hard to call good plays when your quarterback can’t seem to run them. I’m not placing all the blame on Mitch either - but there were so many clear opportunities for him to make a play, or avoid making a bad one, that it's hard to not wonder if he’s the issue.

And for someone who has talked about how he needs to get George Pickens the ball more, three targets and one catch is a pretty awful attempt from Mitch, if we can even call it that. It's almost funny - the Steelers biggest issues come not from a lack of playmakers, but simply the inability to effectively get the ball into those playmakers' hands. 

Why it went wrong - The Bad

So why do the Steelers struggle to get the ball into their playmaker’s hands? Is it the scheme, the quarterback, or both? Now, I don’t have the time to rewatch and analyze the film from yesterday’s game for eight hours. But I can tell you that it’s not all on one party. 

Both Mitch and Canada have a lot to answer for. Trubisky simply fails to see the field effectively and outright refuses to make any risky throws. Canada seems unable of calling plays that stress the opposing defense, create effective mismatches, and use the middle of the field. 

In other words, this offense looks like the one from last year and the year before. Maybe we placed too much blame on Big Ben during that time. While I think Trubisky is currently the bigger problem - because he’s the one who makes the throws - it is possible Canada is the bigger problem here. Canada has all the right pieces to make his offense work, and no more excuses. His clock is starting to count down, and at this rate, it’s going to hit midnight before the end of the season. 

What went right - The Good

Very little is an understatement. I didn’t even mention how the Steelers were unable to register any sort of pressure on Mac Jones without TJ Watt, but I can understand that. Watt’s impact on the field is only truly understood when he isn’t on the field and we see how the defense struggles after. 

Still, the Steelers receivers played well, when they had a chance to make a play. Miles Boykin made a couple of nice special teams tackles and Pressley Harvin had a couple of “wow” moments when he was punting the ball. 

But when your biggest bright spots coming from a game are special teams tackles and punts, well, you don’t have to know football very well to know that it isn’t good. 

What the Steelers can do to change things going forward -

Mitch Trubisky will lose his job Thursday night if he cannot turn things around. Mike Tomlin is not going to swap him out for Kenny Pickett on a short week, but if Trubisky plays on Thursday like he did yesterday, Tomlin will make the swap before the weekend is out. 

That might be for the better of the Steelers offense. Pickett’s greatest strengths are reading and using the middle of the field. I also have a hunch that Canada prefers Pickett to Trubisky, as far as what each quarterback likes to do, but I could be wrong.

Canada needs to call better games or he will soon find himself looking for a new job. I am not saying the Steelers would fire him mid-season, something that would be very uncharacteristic of their classy organization. But if Canada is given a couple of weeks with Pickett, and nothing changes, he will have to go. 

In the meantime, the Steelers need to focus heavily on utilizing the middle of the field, effectively getting the ball to George Pickens, and Trubisky needs to focus less on avoiding negative plays and more on making splash plays. 

I said it last week and this week and I’ll keep saying it until something changes; with TJ Watt out, the Steelers offense will have to step up. That means the Steelers need to get more aggressive. They have talent at the skill position. So far, they have refused to use it. That will change. 

Either because Kenny Pickett will do what Trubisky is not willing to, or simply can’t, or because someone else will start calling the plays. It’s a miracle the Steelers remain in first place in the AFC North. They better hope the rest of the North keeps losing while they try to figure things out, because man, does this offense look bad. And it has no excuse to be as atrocious as it is.