Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin (center) watches from the sidelines during the second half of an NFL preseason game against the Houston Texans, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
LATROBE, Pennsylvania – Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin called his team’s preseason home loss to Houston last week a “sloppy” performance full of inconsistencies and mistakes.
Tomlin said his team’s response during the final week of practice at St. Vincent College will have a big impact on how the group responds to adversity.
“There are some things we need to do better, some things we need to improve,” Tomlin said. “Of course that can happen in the first preseason game, but that’s no consolation for us. We worked too hard to get the results we got, so it’s disappointing.”
Tackle Troy Fautanu, the Steelers’ first-round pick, will miss the week of practice and the team’s next home game on Saturday against Buffalo due to a sprained knee. Tomlin said he is “optimistic” about a quick return, but he wants to take Fautanu’s injury “day by day.”
Fautanu, the 20th overall pick, had his left knee in a brace after Friday’s game against Houston. He entered the game during the second offensive series and played the first and second quarters at right tackle.
“He’s done really well,” Tomlin said. “We wanted to give him a lot of work because that’s where he’s at in development, but I like the overall development.”
Last Friday, Houston’s first two touchdowns came on a Pittsburgh penalty and a special teams turnover. Meanwhile, two of Pittsburgh’s first three drives crossed the halfway line, but were stopped by a sack and a fumble after a botched center-to-quarterback exchange.
“You can’t play football like that and think you’re going to be there,” Tomlin said. “When you think about that, it’s unbelievable that we had the ball at the end when the game was only one point away.”
Justin Fields completed 5 of 6 passes for 67 yards, but dropped the ball near the halfway line on the opening series and the drive ended in a punt. He dropped the first snap of a three-and-out and took a sack at the Houston 36-yard line, ending a promising eight-play drive.
“It’s hard to put a drive together when you have a fumble, you’re on second-and-13 and you’re behind the posts,” Fields said. “Just the self-inflicted wounds are the only thing that hurts us, especially when I was in the game.”
Before the Texans’ second drive, Dez Fitzpatrick was penalized for running out of bounds unblocked on a 22-yard punt return, giving Houston possession at Pittsburgh’s 36-yard line. Texans quarterback CJ Stroud quickly took advantage, throwing a pass to Tank Dell, who evaded two missed tackles in the secondary for a 34-yard touchdown.
Pittsburgh tried to tie the game in the second quarter, but failed after four attempts inside the 5-yard line. Three consecutive runs brought the Steelers to the 2-yard line, but on the fourth attempt and goal, Kyle Allen missed a completely free Calvin Austin III in the back corner of the end zone.
“Sometimes as an offensive player you just don’t want to beat yourself,” Allen said. “A lot of guys are getting used to being back on the field, for some it’s their first time…that’s to be expected in the first game, but I think we wanted to do better as an offensive player.”
But it wasn’t just the offense that had problems. On the Texans’ next drive, Quez Watkins botched a punt that Houston recovered at Pittsburgh’s 30-yard line. Six plays later, the Texans reached the end zone and took a 14-0 lead.
Watkins had a comeback practice on Sunday, catching a long throw from Fields on the sideline and then scoring a 16-yard touchdown during the two-minute practice.
“He needed a day today,” Tomlin said of Watkins.
The Steelers didn’t practice in protective gear on Sunday, but Tomlin was pleased with the practice and is more interested in how his players perform next Saturday against Buffalo.
“There’s no substitute for experience,” Tomlin said. “The rookies gained experience last Friday and we’re leaning on their work this week and expecting them to be significantly better at their next opportunity.”
