Mike Tomlin: Steelers Have 'A Lot to Work on' After 'Disappointing' Loss vs. Patriots

The Pittsburgh Steelers have lost their last two games to a pair of opponents in the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots who have won a combined six games this season.

Those losses dropped Pittsburgh to 7-6 and, at least for a moment, outside of the playoff picture in the AFC.

So it wasn't surprising when head coach Mike Tomlin called Thursday night's 21-18 loss against the Patriots a "disappointing outcome," telling reporters that his squad has "a lot to work on."

Social media offered a similar summation, albeit with somewhat more colorful language:

The major concern is that the Steelers are playing their worst football of the season at the worst possible time. The team now has a road game against the Indianapolis Colts, a home game against the Cincinnati Bengals and road games against the Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens to end the season.

All of those teams have .500 records or better. All are fighting for playoff berths. The Steelers could be sitting at 9-4 and in striking distance of an AFC North crown with four games to play. Instead, they're outside of the playoff picture with a tough stretch upcoming.

It doesn't help that Kenny Pickett is expected to miss the next three games with an ankle injury, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. It's probably not a coincidence that the Steelers have played poorly against inferior competition in the two games where Mitchell Trubisky has played significant snaps.

Against the Cardinals and Patriots, Trubisky has finished 33-of-52 (63.4 percent) for 307 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, taking two sacks.

He's now appeared in four games this season, with three coming as a mid-game replacement for the injured Pickett. The Steelers are 0-4 in those contests.

In Trubisky's defense, when he entered the team's Week 5 loss to the Houston Texans late in the third quarter, the Steelers were already trailing 23-6. His other two relief appearances, however, were a loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars—he entered with the team trailing 9-3—and the loss to the Cardinals. He entered that game with the Steelers down 10-3.

Both of those games, alongside Thursday's debacle, were winnable games when he entered, in other words.

Granted, the Pittsburgh offense has been an issue all season long. Pickett hasn't impressed either, and offensive coordinator Matt Canada was fired. It's been brutal, and it won't inspire much confidence as the schedule gets tougher down the stretch.

The Steelers indeed have a lot to work on. It's that or a seat on the couch for the playoffs.