After the legendary Ben Roethlisberger retired last season, Pittsburgh Steelers fans were looking forward to the start of another glorious era for one of the NFL’s most storied teams.
The team drafted quarterback Kenny Pickett with the 20th pick in April’s draft, and in Week 5, head coach Mike Tomlin promoted him to starter after four games of subpar play from Mitchell Trubisky.
However, Pickett didn’t do well versus the Buffalo Bills, going 34 of 52 and throwing an interception while failing to connect on any touchdown passes as Pittsburgh got destroyed by the Buffalo Bills, 38-3.
The team is now 1-4 on the season and in last place in the AFC North, and it ranks toward the bottom of the NFL in almost every key category on both sides of the ball.
In 15 years at the helm of the Steelers, Tomlin has never had a losing season, which is a remarkable accomplishment that no one else can boast, but it looks like 2022 is the year where that streak could end.
Tomlin Is One Of The More Accomplished Active Coaches In The NFL
Outside of Bill Belichick, Tomlin is about as accomplished as any active coach in the league.
After spending some time on the staffs of Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden in the early 2000s, he got the head coaching job in Pittsburgh after Bill Cowher retired in 2007.
The Steelers had won the Super Bowl just two seasons prior, and he guided them to another world championship in just his second season there, making the 36-year-old the youngest NFL head coach to win it all.
Over the years, the team has seen a transition from the crew that won that ring to a newer group headlined by men such as Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, but Tomlin made sure they always had a shot at the sport’s grand prize.
Even after that group fell apart, he was able to get the Steelers to win 12 games in 2020 and nine games last season, even with a barely ambulatory Roethlisberger.
Even when Roethlisberger missed all but two games in the 2019 campaign, Pittsburgh was still able to finish at .500 despite having one of the NFL’s weakest offenses.
But this season, it simply doesn’t have enough weapons or playmakers to be very competitive.
Its most productive wide receiver, Diontae Johnson, is coming off a Pro Bowl season, but this year he is averaging just 9.5 yards per reception while putting up only 267 yards and no touchdowns through five games.
The Steelers are averaging only 3.9 yards per rushing attempt as Najee Harris, who had a strong rookie campaign in 2021, has accumulated only 222 yards and one touchdown so far this year.
Since a 16-16 tie with the Detroit Lions, Matt Canada has had 4 different QBs run his offense. In those 14 games, the Steelers have averaged 18.5 points, and only because BR7 put up 27 points in the 4th qtr against the Chargers and 21 in the 4th qtr in Minnesota. So…QB or OC?
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) October 11, 2022
On the other side of the ball, the torn pectoral injury to T.J. Watt was a killer, and now that he has also had arthroscopic knee surgery, he isn’t expected to return until perhaps sometime in November.
TJ Watt's return has been delayed as he attempts to come back at full strength. 💪 pic.twitter.com/zlQQT1nTlj
— theScore (@theScore) October 9, 2022
The One Reason For Hope
The Steelers do have a somewhat favorable schedule until the final few weeks of the season, and especially if Watt returns sooner than later, perhaps they could get themselves enough wins to creep over .500 by January.
They must face off with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday and the Miami Dolphins in Week 7, but after that, they have a slate of relatively easy opponents.
If Tomlin works his magic, perhaps he can keep his amazing streak of winning seasons alive for at least one more year.
NEXT: The Steelers Have Reached A Shocking New Low Through Week 5