3 Pittsburgh Steelers to blame for ugly loss to Jaguars

It was another game that most fans who don't bleed black and yellow might've called "unwatchable" from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in Week 8. Despite playing at home, things spiraled exceptionally poorly for this team and the end result was a 20-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars that felt (and looked) much worse than the final score.

Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett exited the game late in the first half with a rib injury, making way for backup Mitch Trubisky. And while the Pittsburgh defense held its own to give the Steelers chances to cut the deficit or even possibly win, the offense was unable to take advantage of these opportunities and, by the end of the game, the defense showed cracks too.

All told, the Steelers are still 4-3 on the season, but the vibes coming out of this game are anything but high. Someone needs to be blamed for a performance like that, and we have some ideas where to point the finger.

3. Mitch Trubisky, QB

Of course, Mitch Trubisky isn't expected to come in as the backup after Pickett was injured and play better than the starter -- I get that.

At the same time, though, the benefit of having a veteran backup of Trubisky's ilk (or even Mason Rudolph, for that matter) is their supposed ability to be able to step in and deliver a steady, largely mistake-free performance that ultimately gives the offense a chance. And the former No. 2 overall pick did not do that in the slightest.

After coming into the game, Trubisky dropped back 29 times, resulting in a 15-of-27 passing performance while taking two sacks. But he threw for just 138 yards and, while he did toss the Steelers' only touchdown on the day to George Pickens, he also threw two interceptions -- though we can forgive him for the meaningless one on the game-ending Hail Mary attempt.

Make no mistake, the offense wasn't great with Pickett either (more on that in a bit), but Trubisky only exacerbated the problem with a costly turnover late in the game and general ineffectiveness once he came in. It really begs the question as to why the Steelers insist on him remaining the backup, even after an offseason with opportunities to find or pursue other options.