The Pittsburgh Steelers have now lost four consecutive games after their Week 5 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The 38-3 defeat is the largest of the Mike Tomlin era, and the most lopsided loss for the Steelers since 1989. Here are our immediate thoughts following one of the worse losses in team history.
Kenny Pickett looked good in Pittsburgh Steelers debut
We’ll start off with some positivity, being as it is the only positive aspect the Steelers have going for them right now. In his first start, Kenny Pickett completed 34-of-52 passes for 327 yards. The rookie from Pitt looked confident in the pocket, he didn’t get nervous feet when facing pressure, and he made plenty of good NFL throws that you want in a franchise quarterback.
He wasn’t perfect, Pickett threw a bad interception to Kaiir Elam, but that is expected when you are making your first start against the best team in football. The moment didn’t look too big for him, and it is certainly not his fault that the end result was as lopsided as it was. It’s still far too soon to tell if Pickett is truly good, but for now, he gives Steelers fans something to be excited about.
Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin needs to go
Hiring coordinators is possibly Mike Tomlin’s largest weakness. He rarely looks outside of the organization, the only outside hire in the last decade being Todd Haley in 2012. Keith Butler was promoted to replace Dick LeBeau, and Teryl Austin was promoted to replace Butler this offseason.
Yes, Teryl Austin. A man who has never been a defensive coordinator was promoted to take the job while the likes of Wink Martindale and Brian Flores were on the market. Flores was eventually brought in as a “Senior Defensive Assistant,” but he really should have gotten the main gig. And it’s in large part because of the “Steeler Way” and “The standard being the standard” that the Steelers’ defense is atrocious.
They came into Week 5 with the 26th-ranked third-down defense, while Buffalo had the league’s top third-down offense. How’d that end? The Bills went 5-of-9 on third down, including a 98-yard touchdown pass from Josh Allen to Gabe Davis. Their third-down defense is far from the only problem.
Pittsburgh ranks 31st in passing defense, and 30th in total defense. Enough talk about not having T.J. Watt. Yes, he is a huge loss, but there are ten other guys on the field at all times- two of which are All-Pros in Cam Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick. Austin was the wrong hire, and it has never been more apparent than on Sunday afternoon.
Related: 2022 NFL defense rankings: Evaluating best NFL defenses after Week 5
Mike Tomlin deserves a lot of blame
It feels as if Mike Tomlin somehow dodges any sort of blame for the Steelers’ shortcomings- that ends now. Tomlin is the one who hired both Matt Canada and Teryl Austin. He has a large say in who gets brought in for him to coach, and right now, he is failing. We already broke down the defensive struggles, but the offense is just as bad, if not worse.
Pittsburgh ranks 28th in total offense and 30th in scoring. With the corps of skill position players they have, that simply is inexcusable. This doesn’t mean Tomlin is a terrible coach- he isn’t. He will walk into Canton when the time comes. Right now, though, his stubborn ways, bull-headedness, and inefficiencies when it comes to hiring competent coordinators are costing this team.
Pittsburgh hasn’t lost five in a row since 2009, but with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next on the schedule, it looks as if 1-5 is a near certainty if changes aren’t made this week.
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