The Pittsburgh Steelers just got absolutely smacked, taking a brutal 20-3 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday. It was the first true gut-punch of the Mike McCarthy era, and let’s be real, for some fans, those alarm bells are already clanging like crazy.
Is This Really a Big Deal, Or Just a Rough Start?
Look, you can squint and try to see the bright side, right? It’s early days for McCarthy. He’s trying to build a new culture, bring in his own talent, get his personnel in place. That stuff doesn’t happen overnight, and anyone expecting instant perfection is probably living in a fantasy world. Plus, let’s not forget who they were playing. The Patriots were Super Bowl runners-up last year, they’re no joke. And Aaron Rodgers? He’s not exactly peak-of-his-powers, MVP-winning Rodgers anymore, especially at his current age. So, a tough loss to a good team, with a new coach and an aging QB? Maybe it was kinda expected, and maybe it’s not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things.
But What If This Is Exactly What Everyone Feared?
Here’s the flip side, though, and it’s a cold dose of reality. The reason Steelers fans were ready to move on from Mike Tomlin, even after 19 years and consistent winning seasons, was because they wanted postseason success. They wanted more than just “several games a year and getting to the playoffs.” They wanted championships. And after this brutal outing, the team frankly doesn’t look much different than last year’s squad. In fact, they look like they flat-out can’t compete with high-caliber NFL teams. Getting outgained by over 100 yards offensively, despite winning the time of possession battle by over five minutes? That’s just brutal. Going 2-for-12 on third down? Seriously? That’s how you lose games, period. Rodgers looked like he should be hanging up the cleats, not trying to lead an offense. And to get into the red zone just once and fail to score? Ouch. Something needed to change, and that’s why Tomlin left. But right now, it sure doesn’t look like anything has changed at all, and that’s the scary part early in this new season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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