Sluggish Steelers drop home opener to Patriots

The Pittsburgh Steelers discovered Sunday that fourth-quarter comebacks aren’t as easy to pull off without a future Hall of Fame quarterback running the offense.

Playing their first home game since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, the Steelers were unable to muster any late-game heroics under Mitch Trubisky and dropped a 17-14 decision to the New England Patriots at Acrisure Stadium.

Trubisky threw an 8-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the final quarter, and the Steelers found themselves trailing by three points after a special teams gaffe a few minutes earlier contributed to an 11-point deficit.

The offense seemed to be finally humming, and Trubisky was in position to complete the comeback — something Roethlisberger accomplished seven times in the fourth quarter during his final NFL season.

“Momentum was on our side,” wide receiver Chase Claypool said.

And then it wasn’t.

The offense got the ball back twice and went three-and-out each time. The Steelers never regained possession after the Patriots took over with 6 minutes, 33 seconds remaining. Facing a defense that gave up the most rushing yards in the NFL last season and was playing its first game without T.J. Watt, the Patriots got four first downs on the ground and ran out the clock to drop the Steelers to 1-1 heading into their game Thursday at Cleveland.

“It’s painful,” coach Mike Tomlin said, “but it’s important we zero in on our focus on this short week.”

The quick turnaround won’t provide much time for the Steelers to correct an offense that was held to 243 yards and scored just one touchdown for the second week in a row. This after the Steelers totaled 267 yards in five quarters of their 23-20 overtime win at Cincinnati.

Trubisky completed 21 of 33 passes for 168 yards, was sacked three times and threw his first interception as Steelers starter. Najee Harris averaged 3.3 yards per carry, gaining 49 yards on 15 attempts. The leading receiver was Diontae Johnson with 57 yards on six receptions.

“You have to stick to the plan,” Trubisky said. “Everybody has got an idea of what the offense should or could be, but we have to come together as a collective unit, and everybody has to keep buying in. There are going to be good plays, there are going to be bad plays, but we are a young offense, and we’re still growing in this thing together.

“The best thing you can do at this time is buy into the plan whatever it is and do your job to the best of your ability.”

The offense was at its best after the Patriots grabbed a 17-6 lead following Gunner Olszewski’s muffed punt that turned the ball over at the Steelers 20 with 3:58 left in the third quarter.

Damien Harris scored on a 2-yard run three plays later.

“A game like that, you can’t make mistakes like that, especially in your own red zone,” said Olszewski, a former All-Pro return specialist with the Patriots.

With the tempo turned up, the Steelers went on an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that ended with Trubisky finding tight end Pat Freiermuth in the middle of the end zone for the 8-yard score. Johnson made an outstretched catch in the left corner on the 2-point conversion to make it 17-14 with 14:58 to play.

The Steelers got the ball back at their 11 with 10:49 remaining and gained 4 yards before punting. A third-and-8 toss to Najee Harris was good for just 2 yards.

The next offensive series began at the Steelers 20 with 8:03 left. Harris ran for 5 yards, then gained 3 on a reception. Trubisky looked again for his star runner out of the backfield, but his pass was incomplete.

“Everybody wants the ball in their hands,” Trubisky said. “I want the ball in my hands. We have a bunch of talent, and we have to figure out what works best for us going forward. Today, you look at missed opportunities more than what we didn’t do. We had enough opportunities.”

On defense, the Steelers didn’t generate a pass rush with Watt standing on the sideline with a pectoral injury. A week after sacking Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow seven times, the Steelers couldn’t get a sack on second-year passer Mac Jones, who was hit just three times.

Jones completed 21 of 35 attempts for 252 yards. His lone touchdown pass came with 22 seconds left in the first half, a 44-yard toss down the right sideline to Nelson Agholor with Ahkello Witherspoon in coverage. Agholor wrestled the ball away at the 5 and skipped into the end zone to give the Patriots a 10-3 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

“Just went to cradle the ball instead of high-pointing it, and he went to high point it instead of cradle it,” Witherspoon said. “He won.”

The Steelers gave up 121 yards rushing, including 54 on the final drive of the game. Harris gained 28 yards and Rhamondre Stevenson had 21 to help the Patriots run out the clock. Jones had a 5-yard scramble on third drive for another first down.

“We have to put ourselves in a better position earlier in the game where it doesn’t come down to that,” Witherspoon said. “Trying to be perfect in the run game at the end to try to give us a chance to win is challenging. We’re better off trying to make plays earlier in the game and give ourselves a chance to win.”

And not just on defense. The offense could use a faster start. After all, they don’t have Roethlisberger to rely on anymore in the fourth quarter.

“We can be better at everything,” Trubisky said. “I can be better at decision-making. We had some missed opportunities. I had some missed throws. We had a couple where we weren’t on the same page. Bottom line, we’ve got to score more points.”