PITTSBURGH — The Steelers have lost four consecutive games after beating the Bengals in the season opener. The longest losing streak under Mike Tomlin is five games late in the 2009 season.
Tom Brady and the Buccaneers come to town with a 3-2 record, but they’ve been struggling to score. They’ve scored 21 points or fewer in four of their first five games. Three weeks ago, in a 14-12 home loss to the Packers, the Bucs didn’t score a touchdown until 14 seconds remained in the game.
The Steelers are struggling even more on offense. They failed to score a touchdown against the Bills, the first time they failed to reach the end zone since the 2019 season opener against Brady and his former team, the New England Patriots.
Here’s what Steelers coach Mike Tomlin had to say at his weekly news conference Tuesday:
— What he said: “One thing I want our team to know is we’re not going to cure our ills in one or a couple of good days — or a good plan or a good performance, for that matter. That state we’re in we have to put our heads down and work hard and diligently and stay together for an extended period of time as we grind our way back to respectability. It’s a mindset we all need to have, understanding where we are. There are no quick fixes. We didn’t dig ourselves into this circumstance in one day and we’re not going to dig out of this circumstance in one day or one performance.”
— Our take: Buckle up, Steelers fans. There is a long road ahead for the Steelers as they occupy last place in the AFC North after the first five weeks of the season. To paraphrase Hall of Fame coach Chuck Noll, “The Steelers have problems, and they are great.”
Tomlin did not use the word “rebuild” as his players have in recent weeks, but he made it clear this team is going through some growing pains. The decision to include “staying together” and pointing out there are no “quick fixes” stresses the Steelers are in the midst of one of their most challenging times under Tomlin. He started 0-4 in 2013 and 1-4 in 2019. Those teams rallied to finish .500, but this team will be hard-pressed to match those feats.
— Up next: The Steelers continue to deal with injuries ahead of the Buccaneers game. Tomlin said cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, who missed the past two games with a hamstring injury, will work some in practice this week. Cam Sutton, the other starting corner, is questionable to begin the week with hamstring and groin injuries that forced him out late in the second quarter of the Bills game. Minkah Fitzpatrick (knee), Montravis Adams (hip), Zach Gentry (knee) and Larry Ogunjobi (back) have to manage their injuries throughout the week. Pat Freiermuth, Terrell Edmunds and Levi Wallace remain in concussion protocol, but Tomlin noted Edmunds is close to a return. He missed the Bills game after being concussed against the Jets.
