Was Mike Tomlin decision to bench Mitch Trubisky for Mason Rudolph right…
It might have only been for two drives in what was all but certainly a lost cause, but the message was clear: Mike Tomlin had seen enough. So too, for that matter, had likely most Steelers fans.
Mitch Trubisky was benched at the end of Pittsburgh’s deflating 30-13 loss to the Colts, with Tomlin giving Mason Rudolph the ball for the final two drives of the game. It was Rudolph’s first regular-season action since facing the Chiefs on Dec. 26, 2021.
It was another woeful start by Trubisky filling in for injured starter Kenny Pickett. The Steelers got off to an early 13-0 lead against Indianapolis, both touchdowns scored by Trubisky on a pass to Diontae Johnson and a QB sneak. But he finished the game having completed 16 of 23 passes for just 169 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. His last pick, which came at 5:57 in the game with the Colts leading 27-13, was an overthrown ball toward George Pickens. It was his final pass attempt of the day.
Rudolph had only two drives, one of which he had only because Tomlin used his final two timeouts with under two minutes to play trailing by double-digits to stop the Colts from kneeling the game away and instead get the ball back after a field goal to push the lead to 30-13.
Why did Tomlin make the change, and what can be expected moving forward? Here’s what you need to know.
Tomlin made it clear in his post-game press conference: the whole team played poorly on Saturday. His opening remarks began by calling the Steelers a “fundamentally poor football group right now” and added that “we’re playing losing football.” He noted that responsibility falls on him
He then went on to say that the team is going to “do things differently.” He was asked directly about the decision to pull Trubisky, and again, circled back to the efforts of the team as a whole.
“Again, as I opened, we didn’t do enough of anything well today,” Tomlin said.
Tomlin might not have said exactly why Trubisky was benched, but it was clear that among the Steelers’ myriad of issues on Saturday, he was among the chief problems, as he has been since taking over for Pickett.
Pickett has battled injuries throughout the season, which has led to Trubisky getting some time on the field, including spot appearances against the Texans and Jaguars. He only attempted five passes against the Texans, but saw more time against Jacksonville, when he attempted 27 passes (completing 15) for 138 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in a losing effort.
The most severe injury to Pickett came on Dec. 3, when he suffered a high-ankle sprain against the Cardinals, an injury for which he later required surgery, though it was not expected to end his season.
Trubisky has not played well enough for Pittsburgh to win since coming in as the starter. The Steelers trailed a then 2-10 Cardinals team 10-3, and wound up losing 24-10, with Trubisky completing 11 of 17 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown.
Then came his next start, when he faced the then-2-10 Patriots. Again, he played poorly, completing 22 of 35 passes for 190 yards with a touchdown and an interception in a 21-18 Patriots win. His most notable miscue came late when on a fourth-and-2, when he attempted a deep pass to Diontae Johnson 30 yards down the field that sailed incomplete.
Though the decision to bench Trubisky late against the Colts was not going to impact the outcome of the game, pulling him with just over two minutes to play facing a two-touchdown deficit, it sent a message that his performance, again, was not to the Steelers’ standards.
The Steelers’ playoff hopes are officially on the line. Pittsburgh losing to Indianapolis dropped it from the seventh in the playoff picture to 11th, now with head-to-head losses to other wild-card contenders like the Texans, Jaguars and Colts. The loss came the same day the division rival Bengals beat the Vikings in overtime to move to 8-6 and leapfrog the now-7-7 Steelers in the wild-card race.
Next week, the Steelers will face Cincinnati before road games to close the season against the Seahawks and Ravens. Will Trubisky be the starter?
“Again, I don’t have answers as I sit here right now,” Tomlin said. “I know that we better do some things different. We better approach things differently. We’re not going to roll that ball out there like that next week.”
On the year, Trubisky now has completed 62.6 percent of his passes with 632 passing yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions. Pickett is not on injured reserve, but given the fact he had surgery on Dec. 4, it’s unlikely he’ll see the field 20 days after undergoing the procedure.
Rudolph last appeared in the NFL in 2021, when he started a game and made two total appearances. For his career, he has started 10 games in 17 appearances (all with Pittsburgh). He has completed 61.5 percent of his passes for 2,366 yards with 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.