5 things we learned: Might be time for Steelers to give Mitch Trubisky a start at quarterback

Five things we learned from Texans 30, Steelers 6:

1. Time for a switch?

When Mike Tomlin benched Mitch Trubisky at halftime of Week 4 against the New York Jets last season, he did so because he was searching for something to “spark” the offense. Kenny Pickett replaced Trubisky and started all but one game the rest of the season.

This year, albeit because of injury, Tomlin may need to turn to Trubisky to provide a jolt to an offense that failed to reach the end zone at NRG Stadium and has four touchdowns on offense through as many games.

Even if Pickett is cleared to play against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Tomlin may want to give Trubisky a look for one game. It couldn’t hurt.

The offense’s deficiencies are great. One telling stat is that as the season nears the quarter pole, the Steelers have had just five drives that reached the red zone. The Steelers have scored two touchdowns in such situations.

The Steelers moved inside the Texans’ 20 twice in the second half, yet they had to settle for chip-shot Chris Boswell field goals.

2. Too little, too late

Rookie left tackle Broderick Jones said no halftime adjustments were made in an attempt to get the running game on track.

Regardless, the Steelers showed a penchant for creating chunks of yards on the ground in the third quarter that was lacking in the first 30 minutes.

Najee Harris had a 15-yard run on the first play after intermission, and Jaylen Warren added an 18-yard rush. On the next series, Harris got a rare snap on third down and responded with a 32-yard catch and run that represented the longest gain of the day for the Steelers.

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The next time the Steelers had the ball, trailing 16-6, Harris ripped off a 23-yard run on the first play. The failed fourth-and-1 play that resulted in an 8-yard sack ended that series and any chance of the Steelers using the run to get back into the game.

Harris finished with 71 yards on 14 carries, getting 55 of those yards after halftime. It was a season high for Harris and a rare bright spot for the Steelers offense.

3. Bucking the trend

A rookie quarterback starting against the Steelers defense usually has no chance of winning. Entering the game, rookie passers had a 4-23 record when facing the Steelers in the Mike Tomlin era.

Make that 5-23. C.J. Stroud, the No. 2 overall pick from Ohio State, burned the Steelers with 306 yards passing and two touchdowns. Stroud finished with a 111.2 passer rating and torched the Steelers secondary for six passes of at least 22 yards.

The last time the Steelers lost to a rookie quarterback was 2016 when Dak Prescott got the win at Acrisure Stadium. The Steelers had won nine in a row against rookie passers until they encountered Stroud, who has thrown 151 passes without an interception, an NFL record to start a career.

4. Sacking the sacks

This was supposed to be the game where T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith would pad their pass rush stats.

The Texans were starting backups at each tackle spot and had difficulty fielding a healthy offensive line since the start of the season. Highsmith hit Stroud three times, and Watt hit him once, but the Steelers did not register a sack after leading the NFL with 13 through three weeks.

Stroud was touched six times, the other two instances being provided by inside linebacker Elandon Roberts.

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The Texans flawlessly executed a plan that called for quick passes and screens so Stroud wouldn’t be exposed to the rush. The Steelers had no answer and allowed a season-high 451 yards. The Steelers also had no takeaways for the first time this season.

5. Winging it

In his first NFL game in six years, Brad Wing showed he was a capable substitute for injured punter Pressley Harvin III. Wing punted five times and had a net average of 40.8 yards. That put him 0.2 yards ahead of Harvin’s net average after 19 attempts.

Wing had one punt inside the 20 and one bounce into the end zone for a touchback.

Wing fared better than Desmond King, who has taken over kickoff return duties from Gunner Olszewski. King brought the ball out twice in the first half rather than take the ball on the 25. The Steelers began those drives at the 19 and 21. In the fourth quarter, King got a third attempt and returned the ball 27 yards to the 28.