By R.L. Bynum
Mitch Trubisky put up decent numbers in his first start in nearly a year but was left frustrated after he couldn’t rally Pittsburgh from an 18-point first-half deficit against a bad New England team.
Trubisky connected on 22 of 35 passes for 190 yards, throwing for one touchdown and running for another, but an early second-quarter interception led to a touchdown that gave the Patriots (3–10) the lead for good in a 21–18 win at Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
“I’ve got to play better,” said Trubisky, who also completed a two-point conversion pass and put up 21.6 fantasy points. “I feel like I let the guys down. It’s disappointing. Missed opportunities; I didn’t play good enough to win.”
It was indicative of how the game went for the Steelers that Trubisky was their leading rusher with 30 yards.
After getting shut out the week before, New England led 21–3 midway through the second quarter and held on to win, dealing a blow to the playoff hopes of the Steelers (7–6).
Trubisky cut the Steelers’ halftime deficit to 21–10 with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson with 2:50 left in the first half. He pulled Pittsburgh within three with a touchdown on a quarterback sneak and a two-point conversion completion to Pat Freiermuth with 11:44 left in the game.
“We played like crap in the first half,” Trubisky said. “We did better in the second half to give us a chance, but I have to play better. That’s the bottom line.”
Pittsburgh became the first team with a winning record in NFL history to lose consecutive games to teams at least eight games below .500 after also losing last week to Arizona (3–10). This comes after entering December on top of the AFC wild-card race.
Trubisky entered the 24–10 loss Sunday to the Cardinals in the second quarter after Kenny Pickett suffered a right ankle injury. He’s out indefinitely after undergoing surgery last week.
“I thought he got better as the game went on,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said of Trubisky. “Obviously, it wasn’t the type of start we needed.”
Trubisky had his most completions since going 17 of 22 for 179 yards last season on Dec. 18 in a 24–16 win at Carolina. The 35 attempts and 190 yards were his most since going 22 of 30 for 276 yards and a touchdown last season on Dec. 11 in a 16–14 home loss to Baltimore.
Mitch Trubisky, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback
Age 29 | 6–2, 220 | seventh NFL season | UNC 2014–16
Roster situation — Second-string QB behind Kenny Pickett