With starting quarterback Kenny Pickett sidelined with an ankle injury that required surgery earlier this week, the Steelers will turn to backup Mitch Trubisky for their game Thursday night against the New England Patriots at Acrisure Stadium.
It will be the first start of the season for the seven-year veteran. But it won't be his first career start against the Patriots.
Trubisky, 29, has faced the Patriots twice before, throwing for 501 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in a pair of losses, one with the Bears, one with the Steelers in 2022.
"They're always very sound," Trubisky said at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex Tuesday of the Patriots.
"I think they're guys up front don't get a lot of credit, but they're very good players. They're very stout against the run. They keep it in front. Always well coached. They do a good job of mixing it up trying to confuse the quarterback with different looks. So, it's a really good defense. They're not giving up a ton of points. So we got a lot of respect for them. It's gonna be a good challenge for us on Thursday."
The Steelers have been running the ball well over the past five games, averaging 165.2 yards per game in that period. But the Patriots allow just 3.2 yards per rushing attempt and 88.7 rushing yards per game overall. They've allowed just one of their past seven opponents to crack 100 yards rushing.
Even though that hasn't necessarily added up to wins for the Patriots – who have allowed 46 points in their past four games, all losses – moving the ball isn't easy.
Knowing that, Trubisky isn't going to fear taking some shots downfield if he gets the opportunity.
"We're trying to score points," Trubisky said. "I'm going to be aggressive. I'm going to take care of the football, and we've got to play better as an offense. We're going against a good defense this week that is well-coached. So, we've got to do our job and execute.
"We want to be an aggressive offense. So whatever that means, taking care of football, we got to find ways to score points. That's the bottom line."
That's been an issue for the Steelers this season. They rank 28th in the NFL averaging 16 points per game. One of the teams behind them are the Patriots, who are 32nd in the league at 12.3 points per game.
So, balancing an aggressive mindset with not turning the ball over and giving the Patriots a short field on which to work for an easy score is crucial.
"It's always a fine line," said Trubisky. "I think you can ask any quarterback that you want to be aggressive, but if you're too safe with the football, you're not going to move it. So, you've got to know what you can do. And you always have got to take care of football. But sometimes you've just got to believe in yourself that you can make the throws to move the ball down the field and score points."
Trubisky has never lacked trust in himself. The second-overall pick in the NFL Draft by the Bears in 2016, he owns a 31-24 record in games in which he has started. And he's thrown 70 touchdown passes against 45 interceptions in his NFL career.
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With Pickett out for at least the next couple of games, it will be on Trubisky to keep the Steelers alive in the playoff mix. They enter Thursday night's game with a 7-5 record and currently sit in the fifth spot in the AFC playoff race.
The Steelers need a victory Thursday to continue to set the pace among the AFC's wildcard teams.
He hasn't started a game since making a spot start for an injured Pickett last season in Carolina, a game in which Trubisky completed 17 of 22 passes for 179 yards in a 24-17 victory.
That win kept the Steelers alive in their chase for the postseason in 2022 that eventually came up short. But the Steelers were trying to recover from a 2-6 start a year ago and were chasing other teams.
In this instance, they're the team being chased. And Trubisky would like to be a reason they keep their playoff hopes alive once again.
"Anytime you get on the field, it's a great opportunity," Trubisky said. "So, I'm looking forward to this for sure."
