Pittsburgh might have to ride the Mitch Trubisky wave to a playoff berth

Just when Pittsburgh Steeler fans thought it was safe to step out and feel confident about their offense, we had a Mitchell Trubisky sighting Sunday. The Steelers had been rolling, winning three out of their last four games entering Week 13’s battle with Arizona. Trubisky came in after Kenny Pickett suffered an ankle injury, and fans are already up in arms. Behind Trubisky, Pittsburgh lost 24-10 to one of the worst teams in the NFL.

It feels like such a long time ago that Trubisky was once a Pro Bowl selection. He eventually flamed out in Chicago and backed up Josh Allen in Buffalo for one year before signing with the Steelers in 2022. While his stats aren’t necessarily the worst, there’s a stigma around Trubisky that he can’t seem to shake.

The real story in Pittsburgh should center around the fact that they may not have the franchise’s quarterback of the future on the roster at the moment. As disappointed as fans may be, Trubisky wasn’t horrible in relief of Pickett. He completed 64 percent of his passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. Of course, the downside is Pickett was off to a hot start, completing seven of his 10 passes before leaving the game in the second quarter.

Looking at the broader scope for Pittsburgh, this injury to Pickett couldn’t come at a worse time since they are in the thick of the wild card race in the AFC. They’ve got Bailey Zappe and the New England Patriots next, which, on paper, should be a win for Pittsburgh, but the same was said about Arizona. On top of that, it’ll likely be Trubisky and Zappe on Thursday Night Football in front of a national audience. The good times keep rolling on TNF.

With such a tight AFC playoff race, the Steelers can’t afford another slip-up after falling to 7-5. They are tied with the Colts and Texans fighting for the final two playoff spots, with the Broncos and Bills trailing them at 6-6. After posting over 420 yards of offense last week for the first time in ages, the Steelers went over 300 yards today in the losing effort. Regardless of who’s under center, this offense needs to find a way to convert all these yards into more points. Last Week, they scored 16 in the win and just 10 in this week’s loss. Needless to say, there’s plenty of room for improvement at the QB position in the Steel City.