Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said he isn't ready to panic after his team's sluggish offensive performance during a Week 2 loss to the New England Patriots.
The Steelers were once again held to just one offensive touchdown as fans at Acrisure Stadium chanted "Kenny" in support of backup rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett over veteran starter Mitchell Trubisky, who finished Sunday's game with 168 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 21 of 33 passing.
"I'm going to exercise appropriate patience and continue to teach and ask the guys to continue to learn in an effort to continue to push this train down the track and get better," Tomlin said when asked if he was satisfied with the team's playcalling via ESPN's Brooke Pryor. "I think that if anyone is sitting here on Monday in Week 2 of this thing feeling happy, they're probably wrong or misinformed."
Trubisky was named as the Steelers' starting quarterback days ahead of the 2022 NFL season, despite the team investing long-term in Pickett, who was already popular among the local fanbase as a former standout at the University of Pittsburgh.
Last month, ESPN's Dianna Russini reported that Pittsburgh's starting role was "Mitchell Trubisky's job to lose," despite Pickett's strong performances through two preseason games and training camp.
In July, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Trubisky appeared to be "leading" the steelers' quarterback competition during the team's first week of training camp.
Trubisky was getting the "first crack at winning the starting QB job," according to Rapoport, who said the former No. 2 overall pick is "a perfect system fit" in offensive coordinator Matt Canada's offense, despite the team having recently invested its long-term plans in Pickett, the No. 20 overall pick in this year's draft.
Trubisky signed a two-year deal with the Steelers in March, sources with knowledge of the deal confirmed to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo at the time.
Trubisky made 50 career starts during his five seasons with the Chicago Bears, finishing with a 29-21 QB record, as well as throwing for 10,609 yards, 64 touchdowns, and 37 interceptions on 1,010 of 1,577 passing, while also recording 1,057 yards and eight touchdowns on 190 rushing attempts.
Pickett, a Heisman Trophy finalist, was one of college football's most decorated passers in 2021, winning numerous national awards while leading the Pittsburgh Panthers, who share a football facility and stadium with the Steelers, to an ACC championship and 11-2 record.