Just as expected, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback situation is already causing discussion and controversy. Through three games, the Mitch Trubisky experiment hasn’t gone all that well. After winning the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, the black and gold have since lost two straight.
Now sitting at 1-2 heading into the toughest stretch of the season, many Steeler fans have begun to panic. The offense has shown minimal signs of life, as they rank 31st in the NFL in total yards per game (272.7), only ahead of the Chicago Bears. While Trubisky did show some improvement in Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns, it still wasn’t enough. The offense still put up just 17 points, as the loss to an AFC North opponent at this juncture in the season was quite crushing.
Many fans have begun to call for rookie quarterback, Kenny Pickett as a result. Trubisky had to play a near-perfect start to the season to prevent the Pickett chants from happening, but he just hasn’t been any good. It remains clear that the Steelers will likely wait on the move to Pickett for at least a few more weeks, at minimum. It seems the team may even wait until after the Week 9 bye. NFL legend and an all-time great running back, OJ Simpson, has now joined the discussion, giving his input on the situation. Yes, The Juice has weighed in, as he had this to say in a video he tweeted out:
“I didn’t realize how devastating the loss of TJ Watt would have on this Pittsburgh football team. They are going to have to score points to win [moving forward],” Simpson said in his tweeted video. “I just don’t see that happening with Trubisky. He wasn’t that bad last night, but that shouldn’t be the criteria. I saw the body language of those wide receivers last night, and it just wasn’t that good.”
We’re with you, Juice. He wasn’t only correct on the quarterback aspect of things, but the other two sentiments that he hit on as well. The defense showed signs of wear and tear, as they couldn’t get a stop throughout the game. While Alex Highsmith has held his own since Watt went down with an injury, the likes of Malik Reed and Jamir Jones have failed to provide much of a pass rush on the opposite side. As a result, the secondary has been expected to cover for long periods of time, something that this defense isn’t built on.
As far as the wide receivers aspect, the unit certainly began showing their frustration on the sidelines. Simpson directly highlighted Diontae Johnson, who was specifically seen moping around. Even rookie George Pickens showed some frustration, as the offense has failed to get the ball into the hands of its playmakers this season.
Do you agree with The Juice? When will the team move onto Pickett in 2022? What do the Steelers need from the OLB group (outside of Highsmith) until Watt is back? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comment section below, as well as on our social media sites!
Credit to my dad, I have been a lifelong Steelers fan. I have fond memories of watching the Steelers win two Super Bowls when I was a little kid. I have only been to 1 Steelers game in my life, which was in Kansas City. That was the notorious game where Antonio Brown pinned it against his chest down the sidelines for a touchdown. I hope to get to Heinz Field some day! I graduated from Iowa State University and look forward to growing as a writer with #SteelerNation!
More must-reads: