In week 13 the (3-10) Arizona Cardinals defeated the (7-5) Pittsburgh Steelers, 24-10. Where did the performance of the Cardinals defense rank among the best of the week?

The Cardinals only gave up 10 points which was the third best in the NFL. Only behind the Los Angeles Chargers and Atlanta Falcons. The Chargers shut out the New England Patriots. The Falcons only allowed the New York Jets to score eight points.

The Chargers did not allow the Patriots to score at all which is impressive but the Patriots aren’t exactly an offensive juggernaut. They are 32nd in points per game, scoring 12.3 points per game.

The Jets were unable to be stopped by the Falcons. Another team that struggles to score is the Jets. With 14.3 points per game, New York is ranked 30th in terms of scoring per game.

The Steelers were limited to 10 points by the Cardinals. Nor are the Steelers particularly good offensively. At 16 points per game, Pittsburgh ranks 28th in terms of scoring per game.

Out of these three, the Cardinals faced the most potent offensive unit. Towards the end of the second quarter, the Steelers lost their starting quarterback, it must be noted.

Although they didn’t have their best game of the week, Arizona’s defense was excellent. The Los Angeles Chargers’ shutout of the Patriots earned them that title.

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Steelers Reacts Results: Fan confidence plummets, call for Mason Rudolph at QB

Steelers Nation voiced their opinion! These are their words. The Steelers and their supporters desperately need a boost of confidence after losing to the Cardinals, who came into the week with one of the worst defenses in the league and dropped to 7-5.

We asked supporters earlier this week about their faith in the team, which quarterback, in Kenny Pickett’s absence, they believe offers the Steelers the best chance of success, and their predictions for the team’s final regular season record in 2023. What they said was as follows.

According to 55% of supporters, the Steelers were not ready for Week 13.

We must take a moment to reflect on the past and formally end the Steelers’ Week 13 loss to the Cardinals before we can move on. What will provide fans a sense of closure? Blame-shifting, of course!

Even though Week 13’s poor performance was caused by injuries, only 11% of those surveyed said that quarterback Kenny Pickett, linebacker Elandon Roberts, and left guard Isaac Seumalo were all lost to various injuries during the game. The majority of respondents (55%) said that the coaching staff was directly to blame for their lack of preparation.

That seems about right, given that two different players publicly stated after their defeat that they likely took the Cardinals “too lightly.” Whoa.

Excitement among fans drops ahead of Week 14.

Just one week ago, following Matt Canada’s dismissal as offensive coordinator, 79% of fans surveyed said they were confident the team was on the right track. But after the team’s defeat in Week 13, that percentage fell sharply, with only 14% of supporters saying they were optimistic about the team’s future.

Naturally, that’s to be expected when half of your fan base blames your head coach for not being ready for a loss (i.e., blaming him directly) or when it seems like he’s perfectly okay with subpar play as long as the record is at or above.500.

For most Steelers supporters, Pittsburgh’s best chance of qualifying for the postseason would be with Mason Rudolph.

HC As soon as it became apparent that Kenny Pickett would miss some time, Mike Tomlin promptly declared that backup Mitch Trubisky would start in place of him, citing the fact that Trubisky has more rep opportunities than Rudolph. That makes sense given that he has mostly served as the practice squad’s quarterback and has operated as the third string.

However, given Trubisky’s performance in Week 14, there may be a chance to change course. Mike Nicastro, a contributor, presented a strong case for Rudolph to start going forward. He pointed out that Rudolph and Pickett’s overall production were similar (which is a problem in and of itself, but I digress). He says, “Rudolph has thrown 16 touchdowns to 11 interceptions in 17 games overall, including 10 starts. With an 80.9 QB rating, he had a 5-4-1 record in those contests. With 24 starts out of 25 games, the now-injured Pickett threw 13 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions.

Most supporters project a regular season record of 9–8.

At 7-5 right now, supporters are predicting just two more victories for the remainder of the season. Cruel.