Steelers Week 13 Winners and Losers

It was a strange Sunday in Pittsburgh this week, with key injuries and multiple weather delays making it a drawn out and downright painful affair for Yinzers. Let’s take a look at some of the winners and losers from week 13 before we gear up for New England on a short week this Thursday.

Winners:

WR George Pickens

Early in this game, it felt like George Pickens was primed for a big day. Unfortunately, Kenny Pickett left the game with an ankle injury and did not return and that was pretty much the end for GP’s big day. George was clearly the best wide receiver in the game yesterday and was finding himself open throughout the contest. He finished with 4 catches for 86 but the way the game started I know he expected better than that. Tough times are ahead for the Steelers wide receivers as Mitch Trubisky is slated to start Thursday night against the Patriots, and likely the rest of the season. 

MLB Mykal Walker

The middle linebackers for the Steelers are falling apart. We are going to have to start making guys wear name tags in the huddle soon. Mykal Walker played pretty well in the absence of Elandon Roberts. He may have allowed a few catches by Cardinals Tight End Tre McBride but they were good throws by Kyler. Walker is likely going to be the starter moving forward so here’s to hoping for a reemergence of his 2022 campaign where he led the Falcons in tackles. 

ROLB Alex Highsmith

Last week, Alex found himself in my “Non-So Honorable” mentions last week after having his 4th straight game without a sack. This week he looked dominant early, tallying a sack and a few tackles for loss. The entire team fell off a cliff after the rain delays and some of the injuries. We do not know TJ’s current status heading into Thursday night so Alex might have to do his best Watt impression. Good game overall, let’s hope to see it carry into the short week. 

Honorable Mentions: OLB TJ Watt, DT Keeanu Benton

Losers

HC Mike Tomlin

Any tenured Steelers fan had a feeling that this would be the result of the game. This has been Mike Tomlin’s M.O. as a head coach. The Steelers will make tough opponents play down to their level and will make bad teams play their best ball. After the game, running back Jaylen Warren said that they did not take the Cardinals seriously enough, which all comes back to the coaching. Several players weren’t on the same page and the personnel issues were horrid. Tomlin was forced to take several timeouts to avoid penalties and even still those weren’t enough. The sloppiness in all three phases is unacceptable for December football in the NFL.

C Mason Cole

I’m not a center in the NFL and I am sure it is a difficult job, but we have to find someone that can play the position better than Mason Cole. This week he had a few errant snaps, one of which was jumped on by Kenny Pickett and the other was lost by Mitch Trubisky. Yinzers may remember that Pouncey would make some mistakes like this but was such a talented player in terms of his blocking and understanding of the game that it made up for it. I can live with mistakes when you’re an All-Pro level player, but Cole is not that. He isn’t a great blocker, he isn’t a great snapper, and he’s not great pre-snap either. The Steelers need to find a solution at this position in the offseason. 

CB Joey Porter Jr.

Less than 7 days after I wrote about Joey Porter drawing too many flags, he drew one on third down that set up the dagger TD that put the score out of reach. He is a phenomenal player in coverage and should get his flowers for the effort, but if he continues to draw penalties, it doesn’t matter how good you are in coverage. He plays a lot like a young Patrick Peterson and should try to pick his brain on how to get away with some of the physicality. 

QB Kenny Pickett

Until KP left with the injury, he was playing really well. He was on time with the receivers and was taking shots down field. The reason that he is in the loser column is because I’m still not convinced that he can read a defense. I am sitting on my couch 200 miles away and I can see a blitz coming, but somehow Kenny Pickett does not. He was rushed several times and never changed blocking assignments, nor did he alter the play calling. Also, I can appreciate that he made an effort to run the ball for a touchdown, but Calvin Austin was wide open on that play. Kenny plays QB and should have tried reading the field before taking off to run. He makes that read, he throws a touchdown, and changes the trajectory of the game (and doesn’t get hurt).This just adds to a long list of injuries that Pickett has sustained in his short career, and the question has to be asked whether or not he knows how to properly protect himself in game. Unfortunately, reports are coming out and making it seem like his sophomore year is officially over. I’m still not convinced that the next time we see him, he will be the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Not-So Honorable Mentions: OC Mike Sullivan/Eddie Faulkner, WR Diontae Johnson, QB Mitch Trubisky, THE ENTIRE SPECIAL TEAMS GROUP