This game was bad. This game was really really bad.
On Sunday, Pittsburgh lost what should have been an easy game to the Arizona Cardinals. The Redbirds came into the game with a record of just 2-10.
This was a terrible performance from the Pittsburgh Steelers from start to finish. The defense performed poorly in a game they should have dominated. Former Steeler James Conner ran for 105 yards and scored two touchdowns.
The Steelers’ offense wasn’t much better, as they only managed to score three points up until their consolation touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Quarterback Kenny Pickett played most of the first half before leaving the game with an ankle injury. In his absence, Mitch Trubisky was asked to step up, but he did not. Don’t get me wrong, Trubisky wasn’t that bad, though he didn’t do much good either.
Trubisky finished the game with 117 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was certainly a positive, though when your team is down 21 points in the fourth quarter, a touchdown may not mean much.
Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren both ran effectively, once again totaling 122 yards between the two of them. They both ran with more power than they did at the start of the season. The development of the run game may be the only true positive out of this season so far.
It’s safe to say this was the worst game the Steelers have played all season. Sure they got blown out by the 49ers in Week One. Sure they only scored six points against the Houston Texans in Week Four. But this loss was not only embarrassing, it came as a shock as well.
Pittsburgh was heavily favored against one of the league’s worst. Instead of stepping up to the occasion, they laid down and let the Cardinals beat them. The Steelers took way too many penalties. Having too many men on the field is always unacceptable, though it’s even more unacceptable when you’re losing in the second half.
The only excuse the Steelers could grasp for is the fact that the game was suspended on multiple occasions due to inclement weather. In actuality, this excuse is completely invalid. Both teams played on the same field, in the same weather and at the same time. Pittsburgh wasn’t the only team whose rhythm could’ve been interrupted. At the end of the day, the Steelers were embarrassed fair and square.
Though the Cardinals are quite bad, the Steelers may play an even worse team on Thursday. Next up is another home game. This time against the New England Patriots.
The Patriots are coming off of a 6-0 loss against the Chargers. With the loss, the Pats dropped to 2-10 on the season. With this being the second consecutive game the Steelers are playing against a 2-10 team, hopefully they learn from their mistakes.