It didn't take long for Steelers fans to express their true desires.
At various points throughout Sunday's 17-14 defeat to the Patriots, chants for rookie Kenny Pickett cascaded down Acrisure Stadium after many fruitless drives with Mitchell Trubisky at the helm.
Trubisky, who earned the right to be the Steelers' starting quarterback just two short weeks ago, led a unit that mustered just 243 yards of offense and generated one touchdown against New England. One too many listless drives was enough for the Pittsburgh crowd to let Trubisky hear it.
"It is what it is," Trubisky said after the game. "You just block it out and play football."
Trubisky completed 21 of 33 pass attempts for 168 yards with one TD and an interception, but even those modest numbers are inflated. On passes of 10-plus air yards or more, Trubisky went 5-of-12 passing for 74 yards and an INT.
"We can be better at everything," Trubisky said. "I can be better with decision making. We had some missed opportunities with missed throws. We had a couple where we weren't on the same page. Bottom line, we've got to score more points."
The lack of a threatening passing game allowed the Patriots to focus on a Steelers rushing attack that was limited to 91 yards. After finally finding the end zone to start the fourth quarter, the Trubisky-led Steelers had two three-and-outs to complete their day before New England ran out the clock with a 13-play, 6:33-minute possession. It was a fitting end to game where the Steelers struggled to maintain possession for long periods of time and keep their labored defense off the field.
"I thought those were the critical weighty things where they were able to control the game, particularly in the fourth quarter as we were trying to regain control of it," said coach Mike Tomlin. "They got propped up by those plays and we didn't do what was required. We didn't make the significant chunks or move the ball enough on offense. At the end we didn't get the necessary stop on defense."
It doesn't help Trubisky's cause that Pickett is a local favorite that spent four successful years at the University of Pittsburgh. Despite helping lead the Steelers to a season-opening win over the Bengals last week, it appears Trubisky is on a very short leash with the Steelers faithful.
The Steelers (1-1) now enter a short week with a divisional matchup in Cleveland on Thursday night.
