Pittsburgh Steelers

Mike Tomlin takes blame for Steelers' woes, now he must have urgency

Updated Oct. 12, 2022 6:01 p.m. ET

The Pittsburgh Steelers are stuck in a bad spot.

After pulling off an upset against the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1, the Steelers have lost their last four games, with each loss looking worse than the last. This past Sunday, Pittsburgh fell to the Buffalo Bills 38-3, which marked Mike Tomlin's largest defeat since he became the Steelers' head coach in 2006. It was also the team's most lopsided defeat since 1989.

Much of the Steelers' struggles up to this point can be attributed to their offense. Pittsburgh has scored the third-fewest points in the NFL through five weeks and is tied for fifth in turnovers.

The situation in Pittsburgh doesn't appear like it will get better any time soon, either. The Steelers' next three games are against the Buccaneers, Dolphins and Eagles – all of which currently have winning records, or in the Eagles' case, are undefeated.

Tomlin addressed the media on Tuesday, taking blame for the team's recent struggles.

"We were a disaster in all three phases, and we have to own that, starting with myself, and I do," Tomlin told reporters. "When it's that bad across the board, it starts with me. We don't need to seek comfort, because there's enough blame to go around. We need to be solution-oriented."

Colin Cowherd placed the blame on Tomlin for the team's current situation, believing that his defensive background prevented them from being proactive on how they handled their quarterback situation.

"Mike Tomlin's got a problem on his hands," Cowherd said on Wednesday's "The Herd." "Ben [Roethlisberger] got old fast. They didn't sense the urgency. They walked on eggshells. They spent no money on Mitch Trubisky, a backup in this league. Then, they got caught flatfooted – it's a bad quarterback draft, and they needed one desperately. So, they drafted Kenny Pickett, who my sources and people I trust say was a second-round or early third-round prospect."

Cowherd noted that all three of Pittsburgh's AFC North rivals – the Ravens, Bengals and Browns – took gambles to get into each of their respective situations, asserting the Steelers should, too.

"I think Pittsburgh's got to figure out over the next 12 games: Can Kenny Pickett play? If not, you draft another quarterback," Cowherd said. "These defensive coaches don't get the urgency of it. You draft another quarterback, or you go upstairs [and tell ownership] to buy the most expensive offense staff in the league.

"With Kenny Pickett, the good news is you're not paying him anything. So, maybe you have to go buy the best left tackle and best center on the market."