Steelers wouldn't mind repeat of 2019 turnaround, the last time they started 1-4

The turnover on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster has been significant enough that only about a dozen players remain from the 2019 team that also began the season with a 1-4 record.

The situations are similar in that both teams underwent a quarterback change. In 2019, it was Ben Roethlisberger’s right elbow injury in the second game that led to the Steelers finishing the season with Mason Rudolph and “Duck” Hodges at quarterback.

This year, Kenny Pickett was thrust into a starting role perhaps earlier than anticipated after Mitch Trubisky’s difficulty in moving the offense in the first three-plus games of the season.

The Steelers also would like for history to repeat itself in another way. That team won seven of the next eight games and held an 8-5 record in December.

“We’ve been through this before,” said wide receiver Diontae Johnson, a rookie on that team. “All we can do is just play, keep pushing no matter what people are saying. Keep pushing because the tables could turn at any point. That’s why you have to stay humble through the whole process and let nothing discourage you or get you off the track. Don’t let stuff get in your head about what you are doing or what people think you should be doing.

“People are going to say whatever and talk, but we know what we can do, so I’m not worried about it.”

A 38-3 loss at Buffalo on Sunday was the fourth in a row for the Steelers. The last time they had a four-game losing streak was 2016. They overcame that streak by reeling off seven consecutive wins to finish the season.

Cornerback Cameron Sutton was a role player on the 2019 team, but he said Monday that it’s really not beneficial for the Steelers to rely on the experiences learned that season.

“You can, but it’s not going to do anything for us right now,” Sutton said. “We just gotta do some searching within ourselves and get ready for this week and the weeks to come.”

The 2019 Steelers overcame that slow start because it had a defense that held eight of its final 11 opponents to 17 points or less. This year, the Steelers have held one team under 20 points and are dealing with injuries to T.J. Watt and several members of the secondary.

Another difference between 2019 and this season is the schedule. The Steelers improbably began their turnaround that season with a victory on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers behind Hodges, the fourth-string quarterback entering the season. The Chargers, though, were 2-3 at the time and on their way to a 5-11 finish.

The next game was a home victory against the Miami Dolphins, who were 0-7 before also finishing with five wins.

This year, the Steelers’ next three games are against the 3-2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 3-2 Dolphins and 5-0 Philadelphia Eagles. It could have the makings of the worst first half for the Steelers since 2013 when they started 0-4 and were 2-6 at the midpoint.

“It’s a long season,” Johnson said. “We’ve still got time to catch up. I’m not really worried about what everyone else has going on outside this facility. I’m worried about the guys in here who believe in us.”

At 1-4, the Steelers have the worst record in the AFC. A loss to Tampa Bay not only would give the Steelers their first five-game losing streak since 2009, it would make the Steelers winless at home after three games.

The last time the Steelers started 0-3 at home was 1986. The time before that? Try 1968, a year before Chuck Noll became head coach.

“There’s frustration,” Johnson said. “I would hope so, because I don’t like losing and I’m sure everybody here doesn’t like losing as well. But you’ve got to say it. It’s not in the game plans for us, we’ve just got to play. Just put it on film, make the plays and the rest will come with it. We haven’t been doing that, and I am making no excuses. We just have to play better.”

Inside linebacker Myles Jack has experienced such frustration in his seven-year NFL career. In five of his six seasons in Jacksonville, he played on teams that had a losing record, including the one that finished 1-15 in 2020.

“Eat this,” Jack said after absorbing the five-touchdown loss at Buffalo. “Don’t run from it. Don’t blame it. Don’t try to avoid it by any means. Sink in it, bask in it, feel it.”

Sutton said the Steelers can use their collective frustration to their advantage but only if it results in better work habits and fewer mistakes on the field.

“We have control over having a better outcome come out of it,” he said. “It’s not a scenario or situation we (could have) foreseen ourselves in or want to be in, but we’re not going to sit here and dwell on it, either.”