The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a humiliating loss at home to the New England Patriots on Thursday night, dropping to 7-6 on the season and putting their playoff hopes squarely in doubt after falling from the fifth seed to the eighth seed in the AFC race. The Steelers started QB Mitch Trubisky for the first time this season after QB Kenny Pickett underwent tightrope surgery on the ankle he injured against the Cardinals last Sunday, putting out for a couple of weeks.
Trubisky had come on in relief of Pickett on three separate occasions this season, seeing action against the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Arizona Cardinals with all three contests being Steelers losses.