Subscribe
Follow Us
With a Pittsburgh Steelers Week 1 game scheduled against the Bengals, QB Mitchell Trubisky will be thrust into a starting role and in the spotlight. After spending a season as Josh Allen's backup will Trubisky be ready to start again? Ahead of this Steelers-Bengals game, we’ll be making our Mitchell Trubisky Week 1 bold predictions.
Keep in mind that when the Steelers signed Trubisky only minutes into free agency, it was apparent that unless he looked like a deer in headlights, he would start. And then the Steelers drafted Kenny Pickett in the first round, which may have been a bit of a head-scratcher. Was Pickett being stashed like what the 49ers did with Trey Lance, or was he QB insurance in case Trubisky's production drops off a cliff?
Maybe a bit of both.
Pickett and Trubisky both had clean and productive preseasons, demonstrating that either could potentially take over as the starter. It was always Trubisky's job to lose, though, and he did not do so.
The Steelers begin the season with three games in the first 11 days. It's a tall order to expect a rookie just entering the league to be the best he can be. That's why Trubisky will start at least three of those games. The rest may be up in the air. Is Mike Tomlin's leash too short around Trubisky? Maybe, but at the same time, Trubisky is a good enough NFL quarterback to manage an offense that's actually loaded with weapons.
In fact, it's easy to envision a scenario in which Trubisky plays all 17 games. This can allow Pickett to grow and then the Steelers can move Trubisky in the summer for another piece that will benefit the squad in 2023. By then, this would be Pickett's team to drive.
Needless to say, a lot is riding on this first game for Mitchell Trubisky. Will this cement his spot as the season starter or cast more doubt about his future? Let's now look at our Mitchell Trubisky Week 1 bold predictions.
Steelers name QB Mitchell Trubisky as Week 1 starter. pic.twitter.com/sSBJerZvYQ
— NFL (@NFL) September 6, 2022
*Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
3. Mitchell Trubisky gets sacked twice
In Mitchell Trubisky's last legitimate season as a starter, he was still in Chicago. That was 2020 when he played in 10 games with a 93.5 passer rating. That was (and still is) actually the second-best of his career.
He was, however, sacked close to twice a game in that season. For his five-year career, in fact, Trubisky has been sacked 1.9 times per contest. That'll be an interesting thing to watch for in this matchup against the Bengals.
Remember that Cincinnati recorded 2.5 sacks per game in 2021. That solid defense was led by the trio of Trey Hendrickson, Sam Hubbard, and Larry Ogunjobi. Hendrickson and Hubbard are still around, while Ogunjobi, ironically, is now Trubisky's teammate in Pittsburgh.
Still, Trubisky's o-line will have to work extra hard to keep Hendrickson and Hubbard away. That'll be easier said than done, though, and people should expect Trubisky to get sacked at least twice in this contest.
2. Mitchell Trubisky throws for 200+ yards and 1 TD
It will take a lot for Mitchell Trubisky to really disappoint in Week 1. Sure, the Steelers may not win and Trubisky himself may not produce a ton of highlights, but he should still be serviceable if not solid.
He also has some pretty potent weapons at his disposal. Keep in mind that Trubisky has two great wide receivers in Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool. Additionally, he also has an exciting rookie wide receiver in George Pickens and a solid second-year tight end in Pat Freiermuth. And then there's also Najee Harris, who is one of the top running backs in the league.
With these guys around him, Trubisky should have little trouble hitting the 200-yard mark. Of course, the caveat is he will be playing in his first regular-season game with all of those players against a Cincinnati defense that held opponents under 20 points in eight games last season. Recall that two of those performances also came against the Steelers.
The Bengals are all too familiar with Claypool, Harris, and Johnson. They should also put a ton of pressure on Trubisky right from the opening snap. That might get him out of his comfort zone and into error-prone territory.
Still, Trubisky has the skill and experience to weather the storm, at least to a small extent. The Bengals' defensive pressure will still limit his chances to throw multiple touchdown passes. This means that getting more than one passing TD would be a stretch.
1. Kenny Pickett shows up on the field
Why would rookie fan favorite Kenny Pickett see action if Trubisky plays anywhere near decent against the Bengals? Well, the reason is simple. The Steelers want to give Pickett some reps as they continue to rear him as their eventual main QB. That might happen in Week 8 or maybe even as early as Week 4. We'll still have to see, but Pickett almost surely has the proverbial keys to this franchise.
Also, if the Bengals dominate — and they can — then it makes little sense to keep Trubisky on the field for longer than the Steelers need him to. If Cincinnati goes up two scores or more in the fourth period, expect to see Pickett's name called up to spell Trubisky on the field.
And those Kenny Pickett chants? Yup, they're not going anywhere anytime soon.
