Mike Tomlin: Steelers 'have to get our mojo back' on offense

Look away, Steelers fans. Your offense is starting the year in the worst possible way. Even coach Mike Tomlin is yearning for the more optimistic days of the preseason.

Sure, the Steelers won Monday night, easing past the Browns, 26-22. But a pair of defensive stars scored the first and last touchdowns of the game. The offense, led by Kenny Pickett, managed one touchdown and a couple of long-distance field goals. Other than that, they got nowhere near the end zone.

“We have to get our mojo back,” Tomlin told reporters. “We have to get that mojo that we had in the preseason where we’re playing fast and fluid with confidence individually and collectively. We’ve lost that, to be blunt, in the last several weeks.”

About that preseason. Pickett and the rest of the offensive starters enjoyed five drives in three preseason games. The first team offense was five for five in scoring touchdowns. That led to lots of optimism that the Steelers would start the regular season in a sprint. But they’ve been spinning in the muck.

Thank goodness for the Steelers defense, which saved the game. T.J. Watt scored the winning TD when he scooped scooped up a Deshaun Watson fumble and rumbled 17 yards to the end zone with 7 minutes to play. Alex Highsmith scored Pittsburgh’s first touchdown. He caught a deflected pass and returned it 30 yards for the score. That was on the opening play of the game.

Maybe the offense relaxed after that play. The unit never ran a play in the red zone. The last team to not have a red-zone possession and still win was the Broncos, that victory came at midseason of 2019. And the Steelers stumbled in the season opener against the 49ers, scoring only once with one red-zone possession. It led to a 30-7 loss at Acrisure Stadium.

And with the game on the line Monday night, the Steelers offense went negative in the fourth quarter. Literally. Pittsburgh was negative seven in total yards. After the second week of the season, Pickett’s quarterback rating ranks last in the NFL and fans are chanting “Fire Matt Canada.” The quarterback and offensive coordinator always receive the initial blame.

But Tomlin is asking folks to stay calm.

“We’re not going to have knee-jerk reactions in terms of trying to make wholesale changes in an effort to change that outcome, but we do acknowledge two is a pattern,” he said. “We’ve had two outings that are not up to snuff in that regard. It has our attention as we’re preparing for the next one. We’re all in this thing together — we’re not assigning blame for anyone. Obviously, it starts with coaching — we’ve got to coach better.”