Steelers coach Mike Tomlin begins the process of rebuilding his battered team after they were demolished by the Colts on Saturday. With three losses in a row and the complete collapse of his team on offense, defense, and special teams, Tomlin has his work cut out for him, and he sounds like he’s ready to make some pretty drastic changes.
The coach says the Steelers are a broken down football team.
Tomlin promises to make changes this week with a Saturday afternoon game coming against the Bengals.
In the immediate aftermath of the game, Tomlin wasn’t ready to say what changes he’s contemplating, but in answer to a specific question about Mitch Trubisky or Mason Rudolph at quarterback, he said there will be changes.
A part of that quarterback question might also be Kenny Pickett, who has missed the last two games after having ankle surgery. Pickett was injured December 3rd against Arizona and has not been ruled out for this week yet, but he was originally projected to miss at least three games after the surgery.
The Steelers’ defense has as many questions as the offense after another poor performance on Saturday. They were shredded by the Colts’ rushing attack, which piled up 170 yards, 127 of them in the second half with their third-string and fourth-string running backs. Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick left the game with a knee injury and safety Damontae Kazee was ejected for a hit that knocked Colts receiver Michale Pittman Jr. out of the game with a concussion. Kazee has already been fined by the NFL four times for bad hits this season.
Linebacker TJ Watt says the Steelers are not doing their jobs.
Watt says the Steelers were defenseless – literally – against the Colts’ run game.
Watt refuses to use injuries and absences of key players as excuses for the poor defensive effort.
The Bengals, Browns, and Ravens all won in the AFC North, so the Steelers are now in last place in the division. In the AFC playoff race, the North-leading Ravens have clinched a playoff spot. The Dolphins, Chiefs, and Jaguars lead their divisions. The Browns, Bengals, and Colts hold the Wild Card slots, followed by the 8-6 Texans and Bills, and the 7-7 Steelers are tenth.
The 49ers, Eagles, and Cowboys have all clinched in the NFC, with the Lions, Bucs, Vikings, and Rams all occupying playoff slots with three weeks to go.
The Steelers have released practice squad linebacker Tariq Carpenter following his arrest this weekend for domestic violence after he injured his girlfriend during an altercation at their apartment.
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